Émile Adélard Breton (8 March 1831,

Courrières Courrières () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France about northeast of Lens. The Lens canal and the canalized river Deûle forms three quarters of the borders of the commune. Nearest communes ...

– 24 November 1902, Courrières) was a French painter and engraver; best known for his moody nocturnal landscapes with figures.

Biography

His older brother,

Jules Jules is the French form of the Latin "Julius" (e.g. Jules César, the French name for Julius Caesar). In the anglosphere, it is also used for females although it is still a predominantly masculine name.One of the few notable examples of a femal ...

, was also a painter and gave him his first lessons, although he was largely self-taught. His younger brother, , was an engineer who was in charge of drilling for the first attempt to build a cross-channel railway tunnel. His first exhibition was 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 1861. He later won a medal there three years in a row (1866–68) and was awarded a first-class medal at the

Exposition Universelle (1878) The 1878 Universal Exposition (, ), also known as the 1878 Paris Exposition, 1878 World Fair, or 1878 World Expo, was a world's fair held in Paris, French Third Republic, France, from 1 May to 10 November 1878, to celebrate the recovery of Franc ...

. Following that, he was named a Knight in the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

. He was given a gold medal at the

Exposition Universelle (1889) The of 1889 (), better known in English as the 1889 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 6 May to 31 October 1889. It was the fifth of ten major expositions held in the city between 1855 and 1937. It attracted more t ...

. During 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 served as a commander of the forces in

Pas-de-Calais The Pas-de-Calais (, ' strait of Calais'; ; ) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments of France, with 890, and is the ...

. He also served as Mayor of Courrières, as did his father, Marie-Louis Breton (1796–1848) and his uncle, Boniface Breton (1829–1891). He was profoundly affected by the death of his only son, Louis, in 1891 at the age of twenty-nine, which came shortly after the death of his wife. The following year, he decided to abandon painting and sold his entire workshop at auction.Auction catalogue
@ BNF Gallica. Later, he began painting again, but produced very little. His niece was

Virginie Demont-Breton Virginie Élodie Marie Thérèse Demont-Breton (26 July 1859, Courrières – 10 January 1935, Paris) was a French painter. Biography Virginie was the daughter of Jules Breton (1827–1906) and the niece of Émile Breton , both renowned pain ...

, who was also a well-known painter.

Adrien Demont Adrien Louis Demont (25 October 1851, Douai - 25 October 1928, Wissant) was a French landscape painter; associated with the artists' colony at Wissant. Biography At first, he studied law, but decided to devote himself to painting. His first ...

(who married his niece) and

Henri Duhem Henri Aimé Duhem (7 April 1860 in Douai – 24 October 1941 in Juan-les-Pins) was a French Impressionist painter. Biography He was descended from an old Flemish family and originally practiced as a lawyer. In 1887, his passion for drawing and ...

were among his best-known students. A street in Courrières has been named after him.

References

External links

ArtNet: More works by Breton.Paintings by Breton
@ Musenor
Letters by Vincent van Gogh
that mention Breton. {{DEFAULTSORT:Breton, Emile 1831 births 1902 deaths 19th-century French painters French landscape painters Recipients of the Legion of Honour People from Courrières