Arts & Style
By Michael Wing I Epoch Times Staff
The great artist and teacher of the neoclassical style of painting Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres was born on Aug. 29, 1780, in Montauban, France. Often credited as the standard-bearer of the classical tradition of painting in France, Ingres developed his style by overcoming the rejection and criticism of his early years and through following his profound belief in the high ideals of classicism. He was later regarded as the champion and guardian of the traditional style, in opposition to the rising popularity of the Romantics, who followed less orthodox principles of painting in the name of feeling over rationalism.
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At the height of Ingres’s success, he was awarded the Legion of Honor and received a commission from the French government to paint “Apotheosis of Homer.”
As the son of a successful artist, and the first of seven children, Ingres studied painting and sculpture in his youth at the Royal Academy in Toulouse, France. Because of his success in drawing at the academy, he was sent to study under Europe’s preeminent painter, Jacques-Louis David (famous for his painting “Napoleon Crossing the Alps”); Ingres stayed for four years. He then entered the painting department of the School of the Beaux Arts in 1799, where he won the Prix de Rome in 1801 for his painting “The Ambassadors of Agamemnon in the Tent of Achilles,” which would give him the opportunity to travel to Rome, a mecca of classical art, in 1806.
Despite his success as a student, Ingres received harsh criticism when he showed at the Salon, Paris's premier art exhibition.
Having just arrived in Rome, he read critiques of his work that accused it of being intentionally archaic and lacking in relief (depth), with overly sharp contours. It was said to show a regression of four centuries, or in a word, it was “Gothic.”
This disgrace left Ingres disgruntled, and he vowed to never again show at the Salon. Moreover, this blow caused him to shun Paris, thus breaking off his engagement to the woman he planned to marry.
While in Rome, however, he continued to produce work as he studied, and as required, he sent home examples of his works to be judged. Yet again and again, his paintings were criticized, and when his final exercise was judged in Paris, it too received a harsh review. His contemporaries viewed him as a radical. He was wounded.
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“The Vow of Louis XIII.” Ingres struck gold in 1820 when he obtained the commission to paint this piece for the Montauban Cathedral, giving him the opportunity to establish recognition as an artist.
For many more years, Ingres stayed in Rome, where he married in 1813. He also continued to produce more work, which was still not well-liked. Soon, with the collapse of Napoleon’s reign, his patronage also ceased, and Ingres had to make do with drawing small portraits in pencil for tourists.
His luck did eventually change, however. He completed his grand work “Christ Giving the Keys to Peter” in 1820 as a commission, and it was admired in Rome, although it was prohibited from being sent to show in Paris. At that point, he and his wife moved to Florence, where Ingres would finally get his big break.
While in Florence, Ingres worked on several commissions, but in August 1820, he struck gold when he obtained a major commission from Montauban Cathedral to paint “The Vow of Louis XIII.” For Ingres, this was an opportunity to establish recognition in the field of history painting, the highest ambition in classical painting.
For this work, Ingres chose to emulate the great master painter, revered above all others in the genre of classicism: Raphael.
For four years, Ingres devoted himself to completing the work. After the work was finished in 1824, he brought it with him to the Salon of 1824 in Paris, where it was received with acclaim. With few idiosyncrasies, this work was praised by the critics.
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“The Ambassadors of Agamemnon in the Tent of Achilles” won Ingres the Prix de Rome in 1801.
Very soon, all of France embraced Ingres in celebration of his achievements. Ingres’s success in France at that time bloomed for nearly a decade. He was awarded the Legion of Honor and received a major commission from the government to paint “The Apotheosis of Homer.”
With his knowledge as a painter and a teacher of classicism, Ingres was regarded with authority. During that period, he completed other successful works, such as his portrait of Louis-Francois Bertin, which was admired for its stunning realism. But the ups and downs of his career had not ended. Ingres received criticism for his ambitious work “The Martyrdom of Saint Symphorien” in 1834 and, having lost face, he returned to Rome resentfully that same year.
Nevertheless, Ingres’s career continued for many years, with many more triumphs, along with a few defeats. His work “Stratonice,” depicting a theme tackled by his teacher David, would eventually win him back his reputation after his return to France in 1841. In 1849, however, the death of his wife caused him to abandon some major mural works and resign as professor at the School of the Beaux-Arts. Nevertheless, he remarried soon after and continued to paint triumphantly, creating several more significant works, such as the “Apotheosis of Napoleon I,” “The Source, and “Louis XIV.
He retained his abilities right up to his death in January 1867 at the age of 86.