![Garcin-Courdouan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Garcin-Courdouan.jpg)
Joseph Vincent François Courdouan (7 March 1810,
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
- 8 December 1893, Toulon) was a French painter who specialized in maritime scenes.
Biography
![Combat du Romulus mg 5098](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Combat_du_Romulus_mg_5098.jpg)
His father was a
farrier and veterinarian. He began his artistic studies at the age of twelve with the local artist
Pierre Letuaire. Later, he spent some time at the "École des Beaux-Arts de la Marine", a small school under the direction of the naval sculptor
Jacques-Félix Brun.
[Brief biography](_blank)
@ the Ville de Toulon website. In 1829, he went to Paris where he studied engraving and worked in the studios of the painter
Paulin Guérin Paulin may refer to:
*Paulin (name), a given name and surname
*Paulin, Dordogne, a commune in Aquitaine, France
*Paulin, Masovian Voivodeship, a settlement in Poland
See also
* Paulins Kill, a river in New Jersey, United States
*Saint-Paulin, Quebe ...
, who was also originally from Toulon.
After completing his studies, he returned home and, in 1833, became a member of the Académie du Var,
a group that promotes the arts and sciences in that region and can boast of many prominent members; including
André-Marie Ampère
André-Marie Ampère (, ; ; 20 January 177510 June 1836) was a French physicist and mathematician who was one of the founders of the science of classical electromagnetism, which he referred to as "electrodynamics". He is also the inventor of nu ...
,
Louis Lumière
Louis Jean Lumière (5 October 1864 Besançon – 6 June 1948, Bandol) was a French engineer and industrialist who played a key role in the development of photography and cinema.
Early life and education
Lumière was one of four children of ...
and
Georges-Eugène Haussmann. Three years later, he was back in Paris with his first exhibition at the
Salon
Salon may refer to:
Common meanings
* Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments
* French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home
* Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment
Arts and entertainment
* Salon (P ...
, where he continued to exhibit, winning a Third Class Medal in 1838 for his watercolors and
pastels.
First successes
In 1840, he began accepting students; these included the etcher
Charles Meryon
Charles Meryon (sometimes Méryon, 23 November 1821 – 14 February 1868) was a French artist who worked almost entirely in etching, as he had colour blindness. Although now little-known in the English-speaking world, he is generally recognise ...
. He travelled to Naples in 1844. The following year, he turned more to oil painting and exhibited widely throughout France, notably in
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
. In 1847, he visited Algeria and achieved a Gold Medal at the Salon in 1848 for his painting "Battle of the Romulus".
This recognition was a major factor in his receiving a Professorship at the "École de la Marine de Toulon" in 1849. Three years later, he was awarded the
Légion d’Honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...
.
Documentation
@ the Base Léonore.
He was named Honorary Director of the in 1857 and, five years later, was admitted into the Félibrige (an Occitan Occitan may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain.
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France.
* Occitan language
Occitan (; o ...
cultural association) by its founder, Frédéric Mistral
Joseph Étienne Frédéric Mistral (; oc, Josèp Estève Frederic Mistral, 8 September 1830 – 25 March 1914) was a French writer of Occitan literature and lexicographer of the Provençal form of the language. He received the 1904 Nobel P ...
. The following year, at the age of 53, he married one of his students.
He continued to exhibit and travel widely for many years (including a trip to Egypt in 1866). He had his last showing at the Salon in 1883 and his last major exhibitions at Hyères and Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...
in 1886. He died in the same house where he had been born.
References
Further reading
* Jean-Roger Soubiran, ''Autour de Vincent Courdouan: 1810-1893'', Musée d'Art Toulon (1993)
* Brigitte Gaillard et al., ''Catalogue de l'exposition Vincent Courdouan'', held from 27 October 2000 to 4 February 2001 at the Musée d'Art de Toulon.
* Brigitte Gaillard, ''L'Algérie et l'Egypte: Vincent Courdouan et ses contemporains provençaux'', exhibition catalog, Musée d'Art Toulon (2010)
External links
Biographical sketch and appreciation
@ Carnet d'escale
ArtNet: more works by Courdouan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Courdouan, Vincent
1810 births
1893 deaths
19th-century French painters
French male painters
French marine artists
Artists from Toulon
19th-century French male artists