Félix-Joseph Barrias (13 September 1822 – 24 January 1907) was a French painter. He was well known in his day for his paintings of religious, historical or mythical subjects, but has now been largely forgotten. Artists who trained in his studio and went on to achieve fame include

Edgar Degas Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Degas also produced bronze sculptures, prints, and drawings. Degas is e ...

, Gustave Achille Guillaumet and Henri Pille.

Early years

Félix-Joseph Barrias was born on 13 September 1822 in Paris. His brother was

Louis-Ernest Barrias Louis-Ernest Barrias (13 April 1841 – 4 February 1905) was a French sculptor of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, Beaux-Arts school. In 1865 Barrias won the Prix de Rome for study at the French Academy in Rome. Barrias was involved in the decor ...

(1841–1905), who became a well-known sculptor. His father was a painter on porcelain, and taught Félix-Joseph Barrias, who proved to be an adept pupil and was able to earn his own living by the age of 16. Félix-Joseph Barrias then studied under Léon Cogniet. He won 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 ...

in 1844 with his picture of ''Cincinnatus Receiving the Deputies of the Senate''. This let him travel to Italy for further studies. In 1847 he exhibited 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, ...

for the first time with his ''Young Girl Carrying Flowers'' and ''Roman Spinner''. Barrias received a third class medal in 1847 and a second class medal in 1851 for his ''The Exiles of Tiberius'' (Louvre). At the

Exposition Universelle (1855) The of 1855 (), better known in English as the 1855 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France, from 15 May to 15 November 1855. Its full official title was the . It was the first of ten major expositions ...

he received a second class medal for his painting ''Jubilee Year of 1300 in Rome''.

Career

Barrias made many paintings on religious, historical or mythical subjects. He also made frescoes for the Church of

Saint-Eustache, Paris The Church of St. Eustache, Paris (, ), is a church in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. The present building was built between 1532 and 1633. Situated near the site of Paris' medieval marketplace ( Les Halles) and rue Montorgueil, Saint-Eustac ...

Grand Hôtel du Louvre Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation) ...

and Chapel of Saint Genevieve in the church of

Sainte-Trinité, Paris The Église de la Sainte-Trinité () is a Roman Catholic church located on the place d'Estienne d'Orves, at 3 rue de la Trinité, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. It was built between 1861 and 1867 during the reign of Emperor Napoleon III, in ...

. He was commissioned in the 1860s to contribute an illustration to an album of works on prayer compiled by William Thompson Walters, as were other noted painters of the day such as

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

Jean-Léon Gérôme Jean-Léon Gérôme (; 11 May 1824 – 10 January 1904) was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as Academic painting, academicism. His paintings were so widely reproduced that he was "arguably the world's most famous living art ...

and

James Tissot Jacques Joseph Tissot (; 15 October 1836 – 8 August 1902), better known as James Tissot ( , ), was a French painter, illustrator, and caricaturist. He was born to a drapery merchant and a milliner and decided to pursue a career in art at a y ...

. A large painting by Barrias was exhibited at the

1862 International Exhibition The International Exhibition of 1862, officially the London International Exhibition of Industry and Art, also known as the Great London Exposition, was a world's fair held from 1 May to 1 November 1862 in South Kensington, London, England. Th ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, depicting the French army landing in the

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

. In 1868 Barrias painted ''The Legend of the Golden Fleece'' on the ceiling of Drapers' Hall, London. Barrias created mural works for the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

of Charles Garnier, and in the 1880s painted a decoration for the

Mercers' Hall The Mercers' Company, or the Worshipful Company of Mercers, is a livery company of the City of London in the Great Twelve City Livery Companies, and ranks first in the order of precedence of the Companies. Mercer comes from the Latin for merch ...

in London. Barrias exhibited portraits at the Salons of 1879, 1880 and 1881. He made lithograph illustrations for Didot's editions of

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...

and

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Suetonius, Life of Horace commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). Th ...

. Barrias taught

(1834–1917) in 1853. Other pupils included Gustave Achille Guillaumet (1840–1884), Fernand Pelez (1848–1913),

Étienne-Prosper Berne-Bellecour Étienne-Prosper Berne-Bellecour (29 June 1838 – 29 November 1910) was a French painter, printmaker, and illustrator. He was known for his war art. Biography Berne-Bellecour was born on 29 June 1838 in Boulogne, France. He studied under Fran� ...

(1838–1910),

Jehan Georges Vibert Jehan Georges Vibert or Jean Georges Vibert (30 September 1840 – 28 July 1902) was a French academic painter. Biography He was born in Paris, the son of engraver and publisher Théodore Vibert, and grandson of the influential rose-breeder J ...

(1840–1902), Henri Pille (1844–1897), Henri Michel-Lévy (1844–1914), Jean-Jacques Scherrer (1855–1916), and Jules Tavernier (1844–1889). Barrias was made a chevalier of the

Legion of Honour 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 society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

on 12 July 1859, and an officer on 3 February 1897. He died on 24 January 1907 at the age of 84.

Reception

The contemporary critic Roger Ballou said the works of Barrias were "always distinguished by a severe execution, a happy imagination, and a graceful conception of the whole effect. A painter of style, Felix Barrias has neither the solemnity nor the coldness of those who usually claim this title; very careful of the dignity of his art in these times of easy painting, he has never made a compromise with the taste of the day, and for this reason, in every essay on decorative art his name is written in advance." However, his work is now largely forgotten.

Selected works

Felix-Joseph Barrias - Anointing of David by Samuel

* ''Anointing of David by Samuel'' (1842) – Petit Palais, Paris * ''Cincinnatus Receiving the Deputies of the Senate'' (1844) * ''Sappho d'Ereze'' (1845) A photograph was published in A. Cipollini's 1890 ''Saffo'', but the original has been lost. * ''Young Girl Carrying Flowers'' (1847) * ''A Gaul and His Daughter Imprisoned in Rome'' (1847) * ''Roman Spinner'' (1847) * ''The Exiles of Tiberius'' (1850) – purchased for the Gallery of the Luxembourg * ''Michel Angelo in the Sistine Chapel'' (1857) * ''Easter Communion'' (1861) * ''Picardy'' (1863) – allegorical picture for the grand stairway of the Museum of Amiens * ''The Repose'' (1866) * ''Electra at the Tomb of her Father'' (1875) * ''L'Homme est en mer!'' (1875) - subject from

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

* ''Eve'' (1877) * ''The Fairy of the Pearls'' (1878) * ''Mont-Dore in the time of Augustus'' (1882) * ''Death of Chopin'' (1885) The painting is in the

National Museum, Kraków National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

. * ''The Triumph of Venus'' (1886) * ''Camille Desmoulins in the Palais Royal'' (1888) File:Barrias 1.jpg, ''Oriental woman'' (undated) File:Félix-Joseph Barrias - Woman Receiving the Eucharist - Walters 371343.jpg, ''Woman Receiving the Eucharist'' (undated) File:Felix-Joseph Barrias - A Gaul and His Daughter Imprisoned in Rome.jpg, ''A Gaul and His Daughter Imprisoned in Rome'' (1847) File:Félix Joseph Barrias - The Temptation of Christ by the Devil - Google Art Project.jpg, ''The Temptation of Christ by the Devil'' (1860),

Philbrook Museum of Art Philbrook Museum of Art is an art museum with expansive formal gardens located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The museum, which opened in 1939, is located in a former 1920s villa, "Villa Philbrook", the home of Oklahoma oil pioneer Waite Phillips and his ...

References

Citations Sources * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barrias, Felix-Joseph 1822 births 1907 deaths Painters from Paris 19th-century French painters French portrait painters French male painters Prix de Rome for painting Mythological painters Officers of the Legion of Honour Burials at Passy Cemetery 19th-century French male artists