AN APPRECIATION: Henri Fantin-LatourHenri Fantin-Latour was not an Impressionist but he was close to the center of their circle. Often classified as a Realist, Fantin-Latour's art was more conservative than his avant garde friends.
Ignace Henri Jean Théodore Fantin-Latour (known as Henri) was born in Grenoble, France on January 14, 1836. His mother was the daughter of a Russian admiral and his father was the successful portrait painter Theodore Fantin-Latour. The family moved to Paris when Henri was about five. From early in his childhood, Henri received lessons in art from his father. In 1850, he studied at Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran's school of drawing. Then beginning in 1854, he studied at the prestigious Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. The greatest source of art education for Fantin-Latour was the Louvre. Fantin-Latour spent much time copying the works of the Old Masters. He particularly liked the works of Titian and Velazquez. In addition to providing him insight into the masters' techniques, he was able to make a living by selling his copies. Although there was nothing revolutionary in Fantin-Latour's artistic training, he soon found himself at the center of the avant garde art world then forming in Paris. While copying a painting at the Louvre, he met and became friends with Edouard Manet. Manet was to become the leader and superstar hero of the avant garde movement. Fantin-Latour was to paint Manet several times over the years. In addition, he was to set the ball rolling for one of Manet's most significant relationships when he introduced Manet to another artist who was making a copy at the Louvre, Berthe Morisot. Fantin-Latour began socializing with other young artists at the Cafe Guerbis including Frederic Bazille, Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Together with James McNeill Whistler and Alphonse Legros, Fantin-Latour formed the Societe des trois - - a mutual aid group to provide support until they became established artists. At Whistler's urging, Fantin-Latour traveled to London. There, he found an appreciative audience for his work, especially his still-life paintings. In 1862, Fantin-Latour exhibited a work at the Royal Academy. Back home, one of Fantin-Latour's works was accepted by the Paris Salon in 1861. The Paris Salon was essentially controlled by the academicians of the Ecole des Beaux Arts and thus the jury adhered to the academic preferences of the Ecole. Consequently, it was difficult for Fantin-Latour's avant garde friends to have their works accepted. Reflecting his somewhat conservative style, from 1866 on, Fantin-Latour regularly exhibited at the prestigious annual exhibition. Not everything that Fantin-Latour submitted to the Paris Salon was accepted. In 1863, the Salon jury rejected so many paintings that it caused a public outcry, which reached the ears of Emperor Napoleon III. The Emperor ordered an exhibition of the works that had been rejected so that he and the public could judge for themselves. Fantin-Latour was one of the artists who participated in the exhibition. However, his submission was overshadowed by the highly controversial work submitted by his friend Manet. The next year, Fantin-Latour participated in a tribute to Eugene Delacroix. His portrait of a group of artists (including himself and Manet) surrounding a portrait of Delacroix is one of Fantin-Latour's best known works. In 1870, he painted another group portrait of artists. “A Studio in the Batignolles Quarter” depicts Manet at his easel surrounded with the likes of Monet, Renoir and Bazille. By 1874, Fantin-Latour's friends, frustrated by repeated rejection of their work by the Paris Salon, were planning to revolt by holding their own exhibition in a popular photographer's studio. Manet thought this was a terrible idea because in his eyes, the Salon was the only true battleground for achieving artistic success. Fantin-Latour decided to support his friend and so when the organizers invited Fantin-Latour to participate, Fantin-Latour declined to participate in the landmark First Impressionist Exhibition. Fantin-Latour's life was beginning to change by this point. In 1869, he had met Victoria Dubourg making a copy of a painting at the Louvre. The two became almost inseparable. However, they did not marry immediately because Fantin-Latour believed it was his duty to take care of his aging father and institutionalized sister. After his father's death, Fantin-Latour came into an inheritance and so he married Victoria in 1876. As a result, Fantin-Latour began to live a quieter life. He no longer spent time in the artist cafes in the Batignolles. During the cooler months, the couple lived in an apartment above their studio. Summers were spent at an estate in Normandy owned by her family. During the 1870s, Fantin-Latour became interested in lithography. Although he continued to paint still-lifes and portraits, increasingly, his works depicted themes from music, mythology and literature leading some to classify him as a Symbolist. In 1879, Fantin-Latour's success was recognized by the French government when he was awarded the Legion of Honor. Fantin-Latour passed away at the Normandy estate in 1904. See our profiles of the Impressionists and members of their circle.
Frederic Bazille Eugene Boudin Marie Bracquemond Gustave Caillebotte Mary Cassatt Paul Cezanne Edgar Degas Eva Gonzales Paul Gauguin Armand Guillaumin Edouard Manet Claude Monet Berthe Morisot Camille Pissarro Pierre Auguste Renoir Alfred Sisley Suzanne Valadon Victor Vignon |
Two group portraits - - "Homage to Delacroix," including Whistler, Manet and Fantin-Latour (above); and "A Studio in the Batignolles Quarter," with Manet, Monet, Renoir and Bazille (below).
Above: Two examples of Fantin-Latour's still-life paintings. "Flowers and Fruit" (left) and "Roses in a Stemmed Glass" (right).
Below: One of Fantin-Latour's mythological works "The Judgment of Paris". Above: Fantin-Latour's best known portrait of Manet.
Below: "La Lecture". |
Artist appreciation - Henri Fantin-Latour