Jean-Paul Marie Saïn (5 December 1853,

Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...

– 6 March 1908, Avignon) was a French painter, known primarily for landscapes and portraits.

Biography

He studied at the "", where he received first prize for painting from live models and, in 1873, a prize for drawing from the

Musée Calvet The Calvet Museum (, ) is the main museum in Avignon. Since the 1980s the collection has been split between two buildings, with the fine arts housed in an 18th-century hôtel particulier and a separate Lapidary Museum (Avignon), Lapidary Museum in ...

. These awards brought him a scholarship to study in Paris at the

École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...

in the workshop of

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 ...

, where he remained until 1877. After that, he shared a studio with Paul Avril and several others. At the time, he mostly painted seascapes. His first exhibit 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, ...

was in 1879, but he did not begin to show there on a regular basis until 1887. Later, together with his friend, Pierre Grivolas and his student, , he would visit the banks of the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

, near Avignon, and the village of Les Angles to paint en

plein aire ''En plein air'' (; French for 'outdoors'), or plein-air painting, is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting is c ...

. He became a frequent visitor to

Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei () is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France. It lies on the river Sarthe from Alençon, the chef-lieu of the department, and some west of Paris. It is classed as a Petites Cités de Caractère. ...

, a picturesque village that attracted many painters, and would come to live there for twenty-five years. He made numerous portraits in nearby Moisy, at the local inn, and is believed to have created more than 1600 portraits altogether. In 1887, he made an extended visit to Algeria and 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 ...

in 1895. Five years later, he was one of numerous artists chosen to provide decorations for the restaurant at the

Gare de Lyon The Gare de Lyon, officially Paris Gare de Lyon (), is one of the seven large mainline railway stations in Paris, France. It handles about 148.1 million passengers annually according to the estimates of the SNCF in 2018, with SNCF railways and ...

(now known as ''

Le Train Bleu The ''Calais-Mediterranée Express'' was a French luxury night express train which operated from 1886 to 2003. It gained international fame as the preferred train of wealthy and famous passengers between Calais and the French Riviera during the ...

''), where he painted scenes from Avignon. He is buried at the Cemetery of Saint-Véran in Avignon and his tomb is decorated with a bronze medallion by

Félix Charpentier Félix Charpentier (; 10 January 1858 in Bollène in Vaucluse – 1924) was a French sculptor. His work was part of the Art competitions at the 1924 Summer Olympics#Sculpture, sculpture event in the Art competitions at the 1924 Summer Olympics, a ...

. A street near there has been named after him and, later, the city of Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei commissioned Christian Malézieux (born 1931), to do a bronze bust of him for the village's main street.Picture of the bust (top row)
@ Malézieux's website.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sain, Paul 1853 births 1908 deaths 19th-century French painters 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists French portrait painters French landscape painters École des Beaux-Arts Recipients of the Legion of Honour French Orientalist painters Artists from Avignon Painters from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur 19th-century French male artists

Biography

References

Further reading

External links