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Bonjour Friends,
Whew! What an incredibly busy (but great) week, it is so good to get back to the blogging world. I have been just aching for Paris lately (what's new, right)! I always get a pang to go when I read your beautiful blogs, see gorgeous photos, and look at fine art.
During a conversation with my husband over dinner tonight, I thought a lot about the painter Jean Beraud and his subtle and elegant paintings. Here is a little bit about him and some of his work. Enjoy!
La Soiree
Born in St Petersburg in 1849, the son of a French Sculptor, Béraud moved to Paris to complete his law studies at the Lycée Bonaparte. Béraud exhibited his paintings at the Salon for the first time in 1872. However, he did not gain much recognition until 1876.
Béraud's work was greeted with great enthusiasm and he was welcomed into Parisian society receiving many commissions for portraits from famous figures such as the Prince d'Orleans and Prince Troubetskoy. He attended many of the evening soirees arranged by the popular hostesses of the time and frequently depicted these scenes in his paintings.
He frequented the same cafés, restaurants and theatres as Dégas, Renoir and Toulouse-Lautrec and was close friends with Manet.
La Modiste Sur La Champs Elysees
He exhibited with the Society of French Watercolorists at the 1889 World's Fair in Paris. He painted many scenes of Parisian daily life during the Belle Époque in a style that stands in between the academic art of the Salon and that of the Impressionists.
He received the Légion d'honneur in 1894.
Béraud's paintings often included truth-based humour and mockery of late 19th century Parisian life.
Towards the end of the 19th century, Béraud dedicated less time to his own painting but worked on numerous exhibition committees, including the Salon de la Société Nationale.
Béraud never married and had no children. He is buried in Montparnasse Cemetery beside his mother.
La Bal Mabile
The work of Jean Béraud is represented in museums in Liège, Lille, Tours and Troyes, France.
Have a wonderful holiday weekend!
XOXO
Judith~
