Édouard Toudouze (1848-1907) was a French painter, illustrator, and decorative artist.

Biography

Toudouze was born to an artistically accomplished family. His father, , was an architect and engraver. His mother, Adèle-Anaïs Colin (1822-1899), a well known illustrator, was the daughter of Alexandre-Marie Colin and a descendant of Jean-Baptiste Greuze. In addition, his aunt was the illustrator Héloïse Colin Leloir, his uncle the painter , and his cousins the illustrators Maurice Leloir and Alexandre-Louis Leloir.Brief biography
@ Rehs Galleries. His sister Isabelle Toudouze (1850-1907) was also a painter, and his brother was a novelist. After studying at the Collège Sainte-Barbe in Paris, he served an apprenticeship with Isidore Pils. After brief studies at the École des Beaux Arts, he débuted at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

in 1867. Four years later, after serving in the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

, he received the Prix de Rome in painting for his work, ''Blind Oedipus''. Although known for his mythological and historical themes, his canvases are mostly in the

Genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

style. As a rule, he tended to avoid involvement in the quarrels that pitted Academicism against

Impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

. He received a gold medal at the Exposition Universelle (1889) and was named a knight in the Légion d’Honneur in 1892. He became an officer of that order in 1903.Dossier
@ the Base Léonore. A large number of his paintings were acquired by the government for state-run museums. In addition to his paintings, he did decorative work at the Opéra-Comique (a scene from the '' Jeu de Robin et Marion''). He also produced a set of models depicting the history of

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

that were made into tapestries at the Manufacture des Gobelins. The tapestries were on display at the until 1994, when they were moved to a museum for preservation. His book illustrations included works by

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

Théophile Gautier Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier ( , ; 30 August 1811 – 23 October 1872) was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and art and literary critic. While an ardent defender of Romanticism, Gautier's work is difficult to classify and rema ...

, Prosper Mérimée and numerous volumes from '' La Comédie Humaine'' of

Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly ; ; born Honoré Balzac; 20 May 1799 – 18 August 1850) was a French novelist and playwright. The novel sequence ''La Comédie humaine'', which presents a panorama of post-Napoleonic French life, is ...

Selected works

File:BalzacChouans03.jpg, Illustration from
'' Les Chouans'' File:Edouard Toudouze (1848-1907) -.jpg, The First Dance File:BalzacQuestAbsolute01.jpg, Illustration from '' The Quest of the Absolute'' File:Toudouze - Les adieux d'Œdipe aux cadavres de sa femme et de ses fils.jpg, Blind Oedipus

References

External links

Works by Toudouze
at ArtNet
Works by Toudouze
at the Rijksmuseum {{DEFAULTSORT:Toudouze, Edouard 1848 births 1907 deaths 19th-century French painters French illustrators French decorative artists Collège Sainte-Barbe alumni Prix de Rome for painting Recipients of the Legion of Honour Painters from Paris French history painters French genre painters Academic staff of the Académie Julian 20th-century French painters