Hugues Merle (1822–1881) was a French

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

who mostly depicted sentimental or moral subjects. He has often been compared with

William-Adolphe Bouguereau William-Adolphe Bouguereau (; 30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of classical subjects, with an emphasis on the female ...

Biography

Hugues Merle was born in 1822 in La Sône. He studied painting with

Léon Cogniet Léon Cogniet (29 August 1794 – 20 November 1880) was a French history and portrait painter. He is probably best remembered as a teacher, with more than one hundred notable students. Biography He was born in Paris. His father was a painter ...

. Merle started exhibiting at the

Salon (Paris) The Salon (french: Salon), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art ...

in 1847. He received second class prizes in 1861 and 1863. In 1866 he was made Chevalier of the

Legion of Honor 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 ...

. Hugues Merle became a friend of

Paul Durand-Ruel Paul Durand-Ruel (31 October 1831, Paris – 5 February 1922, Paris) was a French art dealer associated with the Impressionists and the Barbizon School. Being the first to support artists such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste ...

in the early 1860s.

Durand-Ruel Paul Durand-Ruel (31 October 1831, Paris – 5 February 1922, Paris) was a French art dealer associated with the Impressionists and the Barbizon School. Being the first to support artists such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste ...

had started buying paintings by Merle in 1862 and introduced the artist to painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau. Merle was later often compared to Bouguereau and “became a considerable rival of

Bouguereau William-Adolphe Bouguereau (; 30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of classical subjects, with an emphasis on the female ...

in subject and treatment”. In the mid-1860s, Merle painted several portraits of

, his wife, and their son, John. Hugues Merle died in 1881 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. His son Georges Merle also became a painter.

Gallery

File:Hugues Merle - 3697140 b.jpg, ''Maternal Affection'' File:Hugues Merle - 3693666.jpg, ''The Embroidery Lesson'' File:Hugues Merle - 3698339.jpg, ''Tristan and Isolde'' File:Hugues Merle - 3696032.jpg, ''The Storyteller'' File:Maternal Love by Hugues Merle, 1880, High Museum of Art.jpg, ''Maternal Love'' File:Brooklyn Museum - Thoughts of the Future - Hugues Merle.jpg, ''Thoughts of the Future'' File:Hugues Merle - 3698109.jpg, ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'' File:Hugues Merle, 1872 - L'Abandonnée.jpg, ''L'abandonnée'' File:Hugues Merle Les Orphelines.jpg, ''Les Orphelines'' File:Hugues Merle - Saint Elizabeth of Hungary - 56.284 - Detroit Institute of Arts.jpg, ''Saint Elizabeth of Hungary''

References

Bibliography

*''European Art in the High Museum'', by Eric M. Zafran, Atlanta, 1984 *"Accounting for Tastes", by Linda Whiteley, ''Oxford Art Journal,'' Vol. 2, Art and Society (Apr., 1979), pp. 25–28 {{DEFAULTSORT:Merle, Hugues 19th-century French painters French male painters French Roman Catholics 1823 births 1881 deaths Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 19th-century French male artists