Jules Breton: Painter of Peasant Life [Hardcover]

Annette Bourrut Lacouture (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2003

Jules Breton (1827-1906), known as one of the first "peasant painters", created beautiful scenes of rural French life and was a highly popular figure among the Salon artists of his era. Taking his inspiration from his native Artois and from the landscapes of Brittany, where he stayed for long periods, he painted peasant women and men performing their daily activities, meticulously observing their world and making it a place of peace and harmony. During the second half of the 19th century, rewards and official decorations were heaped upon him, and his paintings were purchased not only by the emperor but also by collectors in America, Britain and Ireland. However, Breton's work became eclipsed by the avant-garde movements of the 20th century, and he was eventually forgotten. This documented work is designed to pay Breton the tribute that he deserves. It traces the development of his career and the forces that influenced him from his childhood through his early training in Belgium and Paris to his years in Brittany. The volume presents and discusses a number of important paintings by Breton, some of which have been almost unknown until now, and it shows how they reflect the artist's social and humanitarian concerns as well as his painterly abilities.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This well-documented and exquisitely produced book pays tribute to a painter who played a key position in French artistic life in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Breton himself referred to his role as that of "peasant painter," and primarily created scenes of rural life beginning around 1848, a time of social and political upheaval when art began to reflect the desire to explore life at its simplest level. Curator and art historian Lacouture defines the peasant genre and brings to life its primary artist who was rewarded and decorated in his day but pushed aside by the avant-garde movement in the early twentieth century. Once again Breton is given his due in this stunning volume that makes superb use of memoirs, letters, family diaries, and official records to explore his life and the work that led to his election to the prestigious Academie des Beaux-Arts in 1886. Included throughout are excellent reproductions of Breton's paintings, preliminary drawings, studies, and photographs adding up to an important reintroduction of a remarkable artist of the people. Lauren Roberts
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Review

"The most exhaustive study available. . . . [A] major contribution to the reexamination and reevaluation of 19th-century academic art and artists." -- Choice

...[E]xquisitely produced...[S]uperb use of memoirs, letters, family diaries...An important reintroduction of a remarkable artist of the people. -- Booklist

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300095759
• ISBN-13: 978-0300095753
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 10.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,747,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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