Charles Thévenin (12 July 1764 – 28 February 1838) was a neoclassical French painter, known for heroic scenes from the time of the French Revolution and

First French Empire The First French Empire or French Empire (; ), also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. It lasted from ...

Biography

Born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, the son of a court architect, Charles studied painting at the

Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture The Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture (; ) was founded in 1648 in Paris, France. It was the premier art institution of France during the latter part of the Ancien Régime until it was abolished in 1793 during the French Revolution. I ...

under François-André Vincent. Winning second prize in the

prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

for ''Joseph recognised by his brothers'' in 1789, he won first prize in 1791 for ''Regulus returns to Carthage''. Thus he received his first commissions and in 1790 produced the first version of ''The Taking of the Bastille'', which produced a number of commentaries. He received a second prize at the Concours of Year II for ''The 12 July 1789''. After giving up history painting for decorative subjects for a time, in 1798 he produced '' Augereau on the bridge at Arcole'', the first in a series of paintings glorifying the Empire. He left for

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, staying at the French Academy in Rome, meeting Dominique Ingres and becoming the academy's director from 1816 to 1823. On his return to Paris, he was elected a member of the

Académie des Beaux-Arts The (; ) is a French learned society based in Paris. It is one of the five academies of the . The current president of the academy (2021) is Alain-Charles Perrot, a French architect. Background The academy was created in 1816 in Paris as a me ...

in 1825, then named Conservateur of the Cabinet des estampes in the

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Works

*Joseph reconnu par ses frères (1789). Musée des Beaux-Arts, Angers. *Un vainqueur de la Bastille (1789). Musée Carnavalet, Paris. *La Vengeance du peuple après la prise de la Bastille ou Assassinat du Marquis de Pelleport (1789–90). Musée Carnavalet, Paris. *Le Marquis de Launay, gouverneur de la Bastille, capturé par les assaillants le 14 juillet 1789 (1789–93). Musée Carnavalet, Paris. *La Prise de la Bastille (eau-forte, 1790). Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris. *Régulus retourne à Carthage (1791). École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris. *La Fête de la Fédération, le 14 juillet 1790, au Champ-de-Mars (1792). Musée Carnavalet, Paris. *Œdipe et Antigone (v. 1795–96). Assemblée nationale, Paris. *Augereau au pont d’Arcole, 15 novembre 1796 (1798). Musée national du Château de Versailles. *Jean-Baptiste de Monet, Chevalier de Lamarck (1802–03). *Abbaye de St. Martin de Sées (v. 1810). *Reddition de la ville d’Ulm, le 20 octobre 1805, Napoléon Ier recevant la capitulation du général Mack (1815)

Gallery

File:CharlesThevenin-FeteDeLaFederation.JPG, ''The Festival of the Fédération, 14 July 1790, on the Champ-de-Mars'' (1792) File:Charles Thévenin - Prise de la Bastille, le 14 juillet 1789 - P572 - Musée Carnavalet.jpg, ''The Taking of the Bastille'' (1793) File:Charles Thévenin - Augereau au pont d'Arcole.jpg, ''Augereau on the bridge at Arcole, 15 November 1796'' (1798) File:Charles Thévenin - Reddition de la ville d'Ulm.jpg, ''Surrender of the town of Ulm, 20 October 1805, Napoleon I receives the capitulation of general Mack'' (1815) File:Oedipus and Antigone - Charles Thévenin - ABDAG000101.jpg, ''Oedipus and Antigone,'' Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums Collection

Bibliography

François Macé de Lépinay, « Autour de «La Fête de la Fédération», Charles Thévenin et la Révolution 1789-1799 », ''Revue de l'Art'', 1989, vol. 83, pp. 51-60. (online text)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thevenin, Charles 1764 births 1838 deaths French neoclassical painters Members of the Académie des beaux-arts Prix de Rome for painting 18th-century French painters French male painters 19th-century French painters 19th-century French male artists 18th-century French male artists