16 Works, Today, May 4th. is artist François Gérard's day, his story, illustrated with footnotes #123

Francois Gérard  (1770–1837)

Ossian Awakening the Spirits on the Banks of the Lora with the Sound of his Harp, c. after 1801

Oil on canvas

184,5 x 194,5 cm

Kunsthalle, Hamburg

Ossian is the narrator and purported author of a cycle of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson, under the title The Poems of Ossian. 

Ossian, a blind bard, sings of the life and battles of Fingal, a Scotch warrior. Characters and passages of Ossian are based on established Celtic and Scottish folklore. 

The poems achieved international success. Napoleon and Diderot were prominent admirers and Voltaire was known to have written parodies of them. Thomas Jefferson thought Ossian "the greatest poet that has ever existed",] and planned to learn Gaelic so as to read his poems in the original. They were proclaimed as a Celtic equivalent of the Classical writers such as Homer. More on Ossian

François Pascal Simon Gérard (4 May 1770 – 11 January 1837), titled as Baron Gérard in 1809, was a prominent French painter. He was born in Rome, where his father occupied a post in the house of the French ambassador, and his mother was Italian. He was made a baron of the Empire in 1809 by Emperor Napoleon.

Francois Gérard  (1770–1837)

Napoleon Bonaparte First Consul, c. 1803

Oil on canvas

Height: 62 cm (24.4 in); Width: 53 cm (20.8 in)

Condé Museum

Napoléon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a French military and political leader. He rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led several successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars. As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 until 1814 and again in 1815. Napoleon dominated European and global affairs for more than a decade while leading France against a series of coalitions in the Napoleonic Wars. He won most of these wars and the vast majority of his battles, building a large empire that ruled over continental Europe before its final collapse in 1815. One of the greatest commanders in history, his wars and campaigns are studied at military schools worldwide. He remains one of the most celebrated and controversial political figures in human history. More on Napoléon Bonaparte

Gérard, François-Pascal-Simon. 1770-1837

Portrait of Josephine, the Wife of Napoleon, c. 1801

Oil on canvas

178x174 cm

Hermitage

Marie Joséphine Rose Tascher de la Pagerie (1763-1814) was born in Martinique into a rich Creole family. By her first marriage she was wife of Viscount Alexandre de Beauharnais, general and deputy of the noblesse in the Estates-General who was convicted and executed for high treason on 28 July 1794. After her husband's death Josephine was imprisoned but soon released due to the patronage of Viscount Barras, a member of the Directoire. In 1796 she married General Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1799 she became the owner of the Palace of Malmaison (Chateau de Malmaison). In 1804-09 she was the Empress of France. 

This portrait of Joséphine was painted in 1801 by François Gérard, one of the most popular society painters during the periods of the Consulate and the First Empire. In spite of its large size, the portrait is stripped of official pomposity. Joséphine is represented full length, sitting on a sofa, against an open terrace of the Palace of Malmaisonas if she were taking a rest after the walk. The white dress in the “classical style” accentuates her graciousness and the repose of her attitude. The park-like landscape and a small bunch of flowers on the sofa create a sentimental poetic mood, underlying the inner state of the sitter. The idealization of the model and the static composition built upon a balance of horizontal and vertical lines are very much within the traditions of Neoclassicism. More on this painting

At the age of twelve, Gérard obtained admission into the Pension du Roi in Paris. From the Pension, he passed to the studio of the sculptor Augustin Pajou, which he left at the end of two years for the studio of the history painter Nicolas-Guy Brenet, whom he quit almost immediately to place himself under Jacques-Louis David.

François Gérard  (1770–1837)

Sainte Thérèse, c. 1827

Oil on canvas

Infirmerie Marie-Thérèse

Teresa of Ávila, born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus (28 March 1515 – 4 or 15 October 1582[a]), was a Spanish noblewoman who felt called to convent life in the Catholic Church. A Carmelite nun, prominent Spanish mystic, religious reformer, author, theologian of the contemplative life and of mental prayer, she earned the rare distinction of being declared a Doctor of the Church, but not until over four centuries after her death. Active during the Catholic Reformation, she reformed the Carmelite Orders of both women and men. The movement she initiated was later joined by the younger Spanish Carmelite friar and mystic John of the Cross. It led eventually to the establishment of the Discalced Carmelites. A formal papal decree adopting the split from the old order was issued in 1580. More on Teresa of Ávila

Baron François-Pascal-Simon Gérard, French, 1770–1837

Portrait of Alexandrine Émilie Brongniart, c. 1795

Oil on canvas

49.5 × 38.1 cm (19 1/2 × 15 in.)

Yale University Art Gallery

This is the first painting publicly exhibited by François Gérard. He chose as his model the fourteen-year-old Émilie Brongniart—daughter of his most important patron—to whom he was giving drawing lessons. Gérard’s skill is particularly evident in the rendering of Émilie’s features and hair, as well as in the differentiation between the textures of her attire, composed of a gauzy white chemise underneath a heavier pale dress. More on this painting

In 1789, he competed for the Prix de Rome, which was carried off by his comrade Girodet. In the following year (1790), he again presented himself, but the death of his father prevented the completion of his work and obliged him to accompany his mother to Rome. In 1791, he returned to Paris, but his poverty was so great that he was forced to forgo his studies in favor of employment which would bring in immediate profit. David at once availed himself of his help, and one of that master's most celebrated portraits, of Louis-Michel Le Pelletier de Saint-Fargeau, may owe much to the hand of Gérard. This painting was executed early in 1793, the year in which Gérard, at the request of David, was named a member of the revolutionary tribunal, from the fatal decisions of which he, however, invariably absented himself.

Baron François-Pascal-Simon Gérard (1770 03 12 - 1837 01 11)

The 10th of August, circa 1795

Oil and graphite on canvas

Height: 1,066.80 mm (42 in); Width: 1,441.45 mm (56.75 in)

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

The Insurrection of 10 August 1792 was a defining event of the French Revolution, when armed revolutionaries in Paris, increasingly in conflict with the French monarchy, stormed the Tuileries Palace. The conflict led France to abolish the monarchy and establish a republic. More on this painting

François Gérard  (1770–1837)

Bélisaire carrying his guide stung by a snake, c. 1797

Oil on canvas

91.8 × 72.5 cm (36 1/8 × 28 9/16 in.)

J. Paul Getty Museum

Along a winding dirt path, the blind Belisarius carries his young guide. The boy has been bitten by a snake, which remains coiled around his bleeding leg. With his right arm wrapped limply around Belisarius's neck and his eyes closed, the youth balances precariously between life and death. Belisarius's eyes are also closed, but guided by his stick he moves forward with determination and purpose. 

Belisarius was a popular Byzantine general of the Roman Empire whose promising career was sabotaged by the jealous Emperor Justinian I. The emperor has the heroic general blinded, reducing Belisarius to begging. He is eventually rediscovered and aided by former officers and his family. This dramatic tale of patriotism, injustice, and redemption was widely embraced in revolutionary and post-revolutionary France and was a popular subject for artists. More on this painting

In 1794, he obtained the first prize in a competition, the subject of which was The Tenth of August (See above), that is, the storming of the Tuileries Palace. Further stimulated by the successes of his rival and friend Girodet in the Salons of 1793 and 1794, Gérard (aided by Jean-Baptiste Isabey, the miniaturist) produced in 1795 his famous Bélisaire (See above). 

François Gérard  (1770–1837)

Jean-Baptist Isabey, Miniaturist, with his Daughter, c. 1795

Oil on canvas

Height: 194.5 cm (76.5 in); Width: 130 cm (51.1 in)

Louvre Museum

In 1796, a portrait of his generous friend (conserved today in the Louvre) (See above) obtained undisputed success, and the money received from Isabey for these two works enabled Gérard to execute in 1797 his Psyche et l'Amour (illustration). At last, in 1799, his portrait of Madame Mère established his position as one of the foremost portrait-painters of the day.

François Gérard  (1770–1837)

Portrait of Madame de Staël (1766-1817)

Posthumous portrait, Probably after 1817

Oil on canvas

Coppet Castle

Anne Louise Germaine de Staël-Holstein (22 April 1766 – 14 July 1817), was a French woman of letters and political theorist of Genevan origin. She was a voice of moderation in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era up to the French Restoration. She was present at the Estates General of 1789 and at the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Her intellectual collaboration with Benjamin Constant between 1794 and 1810 made them one of the most celebrated intellectual couples of their time. She discovered sooner than others the tyrannical character and designs of Napoleon. For many years she lived as an exile – firstly during the Reign of Terror and later due to personal persecution by Napoleon. More on Madame de Staël

Studio of François Pascal Simon Gérard (French, 1770–1837)

Portrait of George Canning

Oil on Canvas

38 x 28.5 cm. (15 x 11.2 in.)

Private collection

George Canning (11 April 1770 – 8 August 1827) was a British Tory statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from April to August 1827. He occupied various senior cabinet positions under numerous prime ministers, finally becoming Prime Minister for the last 118 days of his life.

The son of an actress and a failed businessman and lawyer, Canning was supported financially by his uncle, Stratford Canning, which allowed him to attend Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford. Canning entered politics in 1793 and rose rapidly. He was Paymaster of the Forces (1800–01) and Treasurer of the Navy (1804–1806) under William Pitt the Younger. Canning was Foreign Secretary (1807–1809) under the Duke of Portland. Canning was the dominant figure in the cabinet and directed the seizure of the Danish fleet in 1807 to assure Britain's naval supremacy over Napoleon. In 1809, he was wounded in a duel with his foe Lord Castlereagh and was shortly thereafter passed over as a successor to the Duke of Portland in favour of Spencer Perceval. He rejected overtures to serve as Foreign Secretary again, owing to Castlereagh's presence in Perceval's Cabinet, and he remained out of high office until after Perceval was assassinated in 1812. More on George Canning

François Pascal Simon Gérard (French, 1770–1837)

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Périgord (1754–1838), Prince de Bénévent, c.1808

Oil on canvas

83 7/8 x 57 7/8 in. (213 x 147 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (2 February 1754 – 17 May 1838), 1st Prince of Benevento, then Prince of Talleyrand, was a French clergyman and leading diplomat. After studying theology, he became Agent-General of the Clergy in 1780. Just before the French Revolution, he became Bishop of Autun. He worked at the highest levels of successive French governments, most commonly as foreign minister or in some other diplomatic capacity. His career spanned the regimes of Louis XVI, the years of the French Revolution, Napoleon, Louis XVIII, and Louis-Philippe. Those Talleyrand served often distrusted him but, like Napoleon, found him extremely useful. The name "Talleyrand" has become a byword for crafty, cynical diplomacy. More on Talleyrand

Talleyrand commissioned this portrait after he resigned from his position as minister of foreign affairs in protest to Napoleon’s insatiable military ambition. Gérard knew Talleyrand personally and carefully balanced his sitter’s ease with an imposing presence and unrevealing expression. Indeed, Talleyrand’s face and clothing are reserves of relative calm in contrast to the gilt chair and ormolu mounts of the desk, details Gérard used to animate the surface and structure the fall of light. Talleyrand wears the honors he had accrued, including insignias of his high rank in the Legion d’honneur and Order of the Golden Fleece, which he received at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, and later added to the portrait by Gérard. More on this painting

baron François Gérard (French, Rome 1770–1837 Paris)

Madame Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Périgord (1761–1835), ca. 1804

Oil on canvas

88 7/8 x 64 7/8 in. (225.7 x 164.8 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The sitter was a celebrated beauty. In 1802, her affair with the statesman Talleyrand (See above) was sufficiently scandalous that Napoleon demanded they marry; neither was particularly faithful, however, and, by the time this portrait was painted two years later, they had separated. 

Gérard’s brush revels in details of the highly fashionable interior: contrasting sun and fire light from the novel chimney installed beneath a window, the diaphanous dress, and the paisley shawl—a modish accessory, but also a nod to the sitter’s birth near Pondicherry, in colonial India. More on this painting

François Gérard (1770–1837)

Arthur Wellesley (1769–1852), 1st Duke of Wellington, Field Marshal and Prime Minister, c. 1814

Oil on canvas

H 245 x W 160 cm

Government Art Collection

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister. He ended the Napoleonic Wars when he defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. More on the Duke of Wellington

In 1808, as many as eight (and in 1810, no less than fourteen) portraits by him were exhibited at the Salon, and these figures afford only an indication of the enormous numbers which he executed yearly. All of the leading figures of the Empire and of the Bourbon Restoration, and all of the most celebrated men and women of Europe, sat for Gérard. This extraordinary vogue was due partly to the charm of his manner and conversation, for his salon was as much frequented as his studio. Madame de Staël (See above), George Canning (See above), Talleyrand (See above) and the Duke of Wellington (See above) have all borne witness to the attraction of his society.

François Gérard  (1770–1837)

La bataille d'Austerlitz/ The Battle of Austerlitz, 2nd December 1805, c. 1810

Height: 510 cm (16.7 ft); Width: 958 cm (10.4 yd)

Palace of Versailles

The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important and decisive engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. In what is widely regarded as the greatest victory achieved by Napoleon, the Grande Armée of France defeated a larger Russian and Austrian army led by Emperor Alexander I and Holy Roman Emperor Francis II. The battle occurred near the town of Austerlitz in the Austrian Empire. Austerlitz brought the War of the Third Coalition to a rapid end, with the Treaty of Pressburg signed by the Austrians later in the month. The battle is often cited as a tactical masterpiece. More on this painting

François Pascal Simon Gérard (French, 1770–1837)

The Entry of Henry IV into Paris, 22 March 1594, c. 1816

Oil on canvas

61 x 134 cm. (24 x 52.8 in.)

Musée de l'histoire de France

The Entry of Henri IV into Paris is an oil on canvas , 5.10  m high and 9.58  m long. It represents a scene of the entry of Henri IV into Paris , in 1594 , after his coronation in Chartres. This historical event is known through engravings commissioned by Henri IV and produced during his lifetime. 

Gérard was inspired by these prints and his composition is centered on the presentation of the keys of the city to the king, by the provost of the merchants, near the Porte Neuve. More on this painting

Rich and famous, Gérard was stung by remorse for earlier ambitions abandoned; at intervals, he had indeed striven with Girodet and other rivals to prove his strength at history painting, still a more prestigious genre than portraiture. His Bataille d'Austerlitz (1810) (See above) showed a breadth of invention and style which was even more conspicuous in L'Entrée d'Henri IV à Paris (at Versailles) (See above), the work with which in 1817 he paid homage to the returned Louis XVIII. After this date, Gérard declined, watching with impotent grief the progress of the Romantic school.

Loaded with honors – baron of the Empire in 1809, member of the Institut on 7 March 1812, officer of the Légion d'honneur, first painter to the king – he worked on, sad and discouraged. The revolution of 1830 added to his disquiet, and on 11 January 1837, after three days of fever, he died.

François Pascal Simon Gérard (French, 1770–1837)

Corinne at Cape Miseno, c. 1819

Oil on canvas

266 x 277 cm

Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyon

This very large-format painting was commissioned by Prince Augustus of Prussia, in homage to the writer Germaine de Staël (1766-1817), who died two years earlier. Its subject, imposed by the sponsors, is borrowed from Madame de Staël Corinne's (See above) novel or Italy , published in 1807 and which was very successful.

 The scene takes place at Cape Misene, facing the Bay of Naples and the threatening Vesuvius. Under a night sky, the poet Corinne, who has just evoked the memories attached to these mythical places of antiquity, interrupts her improvisation and puts down her lyre, overwhelmed by emotion. In front of her, her lover, the English officer Oswald, and his upset friends, remain suspended to the beauty of her creation.

 The commission wanted the painter to represent the heroine in the guise of Madame de Staël, but Gérard chose instead to evoke her ideally. In this work, he manages to reconcile the purity of the design and the search for grace and ideal, specific to the neoclassicism inherited from his master David, with a new inspiration tending towards romanticism, through the expression of feelings and detail. picturesque. 

Offered by Prince Auguste to Madame Récamier as a token of her attachment, this painting stood in the center of the living room of Juliette's apartment, at the Abbaye-aux-Bois in Paris. He thus participated in the decor of this renowned place where personalities from the world of letters and the arts gathered. More on this painting

Gérard is best remembered for his portraits. The color of his paintings has suffered, but his drawings show in uninjured delicacy the purity of his line, and those of women are specially remarkable for a virginal simplicity and frankness of expression. His students included Heinrich Christoph Kolbe. More on François Gérard

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