Benjamin-Constant. Marvels and mirages of orientalism.
Hazan| N° d'inventaire | 18672 |
| Format | 30 x 32 |
| Détails | 400 p., color illustrations, publisher's hardcover. |
| Publication | Paris, 2014 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | |
Benjamin-Constant (1845-1902), a major figure in Orientalist painting during the Third Republic in France, is studied here for the first time. Memories of his travels in Spain and Morocco influenced his lifestyle: his ostentatious studio was filled with Hispano-Moresque objects. In the tradition of Delacroix, whom he admired, this brilliant colorist drew closer to the Orientalism of Henri Regnault, Mariano Fortuny, Georges Clairin, and Jean-Paul Laurens, among others, painters whose works are presented here. Seizing on the stereotypes of a colonial Orient in suspense, Benjamin-Constant combined nonchalant odalisques with fierce Moors in gigantic, precisely structured compositions. His history painting, inspired by Byzantine and biblical influences, complemented his Orientalist vein. His striking paintings showcase chromatic qualities that he expressed with a scintillating palette. Benjamin-Constant established himself as one of the great set painters of his time at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, the Gare d'Orsay, the Hôtel de Ville in Paris, and the Capitole in Toulouse. He developed the art of high-society portraiture for a clientele of wealthy patrons. His work as a portraitist for Queen Victoria and as a professor at the Académie Julian, where he had many foreign students, brought him international fame, particularly in England, the United States, and Canada. Superbly illustrated, this first monograph on Benjamin-Constant brings together an international team of seasoned experts who, in the light of original research, examine the biography of a famous and little-known artist in his studio and at the Salon, from the Académie des Beaux-Arts to foreign collectors' circles. Above all, the mirages and lies of a fantasized Orient are studied in light of the research of contemporary historians and revisited through the eyes of today's feminist artists.
Benjamin-Constant (1845-1902), a major figure in Orientalist painting during the Third Republic in France, is studied here for the first time. Memories of his travels in Spain and Morocco influenced his lifestyle: his ostentatious studio was filled with Hispano-Moresque objects. In the tradition of Delacroix, whom he admired, this brilliant colorist drew closer to the Orientalism of Henri Regnault, Mariano Fortuny, Georges Clairin, and Jean-Paul Laurens, among others, painters whose works are presented here. Seizing on the stereotypes of a colonial Orient in suspense, Benjamin-Constant combined nonchalant odalisques with fierce Moors in gigantic, precisely structured compositions. His history painting, inspired by Byzantine and biblical influences, complemented his Orientalist vein. His striking paintings showcase chromatic qualities that he expressed with a scintillating palette. Benjamin-Constant established himself as one of the great set painters of his time at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, the Gare d'Orsay, the Hôtel de Ville in Paris, and the Capitole in Toulouse. He developed the art of high-society portraiture for a clientele of wealthy patrons. His work as a portraitist for Queen Victoria and as a professor at the Académie Julian, where he had many foreign students, brought him international fame, particularly in England, the United States, and Canada. Superbly illustrated, this first monograph on Benjamin-Constant brings together an international team of seasoned experts who, in the light of original research, examine the biography of a famous and little-known artist in his studio and at the Salon, from the Académie des Beaux-Arts to foreign collectors' circles. Above all, the mirages and lies of a fantasized Orient are studied in light of the research of contemporary historians and revisited through the eyes of today's feminist artists.