Jean Béraud (; January 12, 1849 – October 4, 1935) was a French

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

renowned for his numerous paintings depicting the life of Paris, and the nightlife of Paris society. Pictures of the

Champs Elysees Champs may refer to: Music * The Champs, a U.S. instrumental music group * Champs (Brazilian band), a Brazilian boy band * Champs (British band), a British folk- and indie rock-influenced band * The Fucking Champs, a U.S. progressive heavy met ...

, cafés,

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

and the banks of the

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

are precisely detailed illustrations of everyday Parisian life during the "

Belle Époque The Belle Époque () or La Belle Époque () was a period of French and European history that began after the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and continued until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era of the Fr ...

". He also painted religious subjects in a contemporary setting.

Biography

Béraud was born in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. His father (also called Jean) was a sculptor and was likely working on the site of St. Isaac's Cathedral at the time of his son's birth. Béraud's mother was one Geneviève Eugénie Jacquin; following the death of Béraud's father, the family moved to

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 ...

. Béraud was in the process of being educated as a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

until the occupation of Paris 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 ...

in 1870. Béraud became a student of

Léon Bonnat Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat (; 20 June 1833 – 8 September 1922) was a French painter, Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur, art collector and professor at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Early life Bonnat was born in Bayonne, but from 1846 to 1853 ...

, and exhibited his paintings 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 in 1872. However, he did not gain recognition until 1876, with his ''On the Way Back from the Funeral''. He exhibited with the Society of French Watercolorists at the 1889 World's Fair in Paris. He painted many scenes of Parisian daily life during the

in a style that stands somewhere between the academic art of the Salon and that of the

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

. He received the

Légion d'honneur 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 ...

in 1894. Béraud's paintings often included truth-based humour and mockery of late 19th-century Parisian life, along with frequent appearances of

biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

characters in then contemporary situations. Paintings such as ''Mary Magdalene in the House of the Pharisees'' aroused controversy when exhibited, because of these themes. Towards the end of the 19th century, Béraud dedicated less time to his own painting but worked on numerous exhibition committees, including the ''Salon de la Société Nationale''. Béraud never married and had no children. He died in Paris on October 4, 1935, and is buried in

Montparnasse Cemetery Montparnasse Cemetery () is a cemetery in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, in the city's 14th arrondissement of Paris, 14th arrondissement. The cemetery is roughly 47 acres and is the second largest cemetery in Paris. The cemetery has over 35,00 ...

beside his mother.

Style

Béraud was popular in France, and was appreciated by Guy de Maupassant who called him "adorable's adversaries" (''Le plus charmant des fantaisistes''). However, his work was completely ignored by art historians of the period. After the Revolution, Russian artists received Béraud's work with irony, seeing them as the embodiment of Western commercial consumption, indulging, in their opinion, in the bourgeois tastes of the rich middle-class. Painting style gradually shifted from academic towards impressionism. However, while the major Impressionists fled the chaotic milieu of Paris and painted landscapes of the surrounding areas, Béraud – like his friend

Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French Modernism, modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism (art movement), R ...

(1832–1883), and in some of his paintings,

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 ...

(1834–1917) – depicted the busy environment of late-nineteenth-century urban life. Artistic techniques used by Béraud, in particular, when drawing the so-called ''À la salle Graffard'', were later adopted by other artists. The upper part of the picture is hidden in a light haze, the spectators are depicted in the foreground enthusiastically responding to the speech, while the Anarchist speakers stand out against a darker background.

Gallery

File:Blanche Vesnić (née Ulman), by Jean Béraud.jpg, ''Blanche Vesnić (née Ulman)'' File:Jean Béraud Le Cafe de Paris.jpg, ''Le Café de Paris'' File:Jean Béraud La Lettre.jpg, ''La Lettre'' File:Jean Béraud Personnages.jpg, ''Personnages'' Image:Jean Béraud Au Bistro.jpg, ''Au Bistro'' Image:Jean Béraud After the Misdeed.jpg, ''Après la faute'' File:Jean Béraud La Partie De Billard.jpg, ''La Partie De Billard'' File:Jean Béraud The Drinkers.jpg, The Drinkers File:Jean Béraud - À la salle Graffard.jpg, ''À la salle Graffard'' File:Jean Béraud Les Grands Boulevards Le Theatre Des Varietes.jpg, ''Les Grands Boulevards: Le Théâtre des Variétés'' Image:Jean Béraud Representation at the Theatre des Varietes.jpg, Representation of the Théâtre des Variétés Image:Jean Béraud La Modiste Sur Les Champs Elysees.jpg, The Milliner on the Champs Elysées File:Jean Béraud Sortant De La Madeleine, Paris.jpg, ''Sortant De La Madeleine, Paris'' File:Jean Béraud Home, Driver.jpg, Home, Driver File:Cathédrale américaine de paris.jpg, ''l'Église de la Sainte-Trinité'' File:Jean Béraud - L'Attente.jpg, ''L'Attente'' File:Le Retour de l'enterrement-Jean Béraud (1876).jpg, ''Le Retour de l'enterrement'' Image:Jean Béraud La Sortie Du Bourgeois.jpg, ''La Sortie du bourgeois'' Image:Jean Béraud Le Boulevard St. Denis, Paris.jpg, ''Le Boulevard Saint-Denis'' Image:Jean Béraud Jeune femme traversant le boulevard.jpg, ''Jeune femme traversant le boulevard'' Image:Jean Béraud Boulevard des capucines.jpg, ''Boulevard des Capucines'' File:Paris Kiosk Beraud.jpg, Paris Kiosk 1880–1884,

Walters Art Museum The Walters Art Museum is a public art museum located in the Mount Vernon, Baltimore, Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded and opened in 1934, it holds collections from the mid-19th century that were amassed substantially ...

File:Jean Beraud, Parisienne place de la Concorde.jpg, ''Parisienne place de la Concorde'' File:Jean Béraud Le Bal Mabile.jpg, ''Le Bal Mabile'' File:Red Dress, Jean Beraud.jpg, ''Parisienne in a Red Dress'' (c.1900), Oil on panel, 13 1/8 x 10 1/2 in. (33.3 x 26.7 cm),

Clark Art Institute The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, commonly referred to as the Clark, is an art museum and research institution located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. Its collection consists of European ...

File:Seaside Cafe.jpg, ''Seaside Café'' (1884), Oil on canvas, 21 5/8 x 13 1/8 in. (54.9 x 33.3 cm)

File:Windy Day.jpg, ''Windy Day, Place de la Concorde'' (c. 1890), Oil on panel, 22 1/16 x 14 13/16 in. (56 x 37.6 cm),

References

Sources

* Patrick Offenstadt, ''The Belle Epoque : A Dream of Times Gone by Jean Béraud'', Taschen - Wildenstein Institute, Paris, 1999.
Tate Collection , Jean Béraud
at www.tate.org.uk
artnet.com

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beraud, Jean 1849 births 1935 deaths Painters from Paris Lycée Condorcet alumni École des Beaux-Arts alumni French expatriates in the Russian Empire 19th-century French painters 19th-century French male artists French male painters French portrait painters French genre painters 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists Officers of the Legion of Honour Academic art Burials at Montmartre Cemetery Members of the Ligue de la patrie française Belle Époque