Pierre-Paul Prud'hon (1758-1823)Pierre Prud'hon grew up in Cluny. In Dijon he trained as a painter. From 1777 (when he adopted his second Christian name - Paul - in honour of Peter Paul Rubens) to 1780, he worked for a wealthy baron in the Dijon area. He continued his education in Paris at the Académie Royale and in 1784 he won the Prix de RomePrix de RomeA visit to Rome and the opportunity to study to art of the ancient world and the Renaissance were important elements in an artist's education from the 16th century. The 'Prix de Rome' was a sort of grant awarded to promising artists enabling them to travel to Rome and to complete their studies. The prize was first given in 1664 in France and was adopted in the Netherlands during the French period for various categories, including sculpture, painting, architecture and graphic art.. A four-year stay in Rome followed. Prud'hon is especially known for his allegoricalAllegoryAn allegory is a concrete representation of an abstract idea or concept. It usually features a complex combination of human and animal figures, objects and actions. An allegory often contains one or more 'personifications' - representations of (usually abstract) concepts in the form of a person. One of the seven virtues, for example, is personified by Dame Justice. Personifications are often depicted by stationary figures, while allegories usually feature some form of action or activity. Allegories were popular in all forms of art, from classical antiquity to the late 19th century. They were employed to represent a wealth of different concepts, including life, death, transience, painting, seasons, age and the elements. paintings and portraits made in the turbulent years of the French RevolutionFrench RevolutionA major social and political upheaval took place in France at the end of the 18th century which became known as the French Revolution. It began in 1789 with the storming of the Bastille, a prison in Paris. Inspired by Enlightenment ideals, the citizens seized power and threw out the monarchy. In its stead came a citizen's republic with Liberty, Equality and Fraternity as its motto. The ideology of the French Revolution was to have an enormous impact on social and political life in many European countries. (1789-1799) and the heroic decade of the Napoleonic Empire (1804-1815). His work is distinct from the strict Neoclassicism of his contemporaries by its charm and the sentimental content. |
