- Horace Vernet
Émile Jean-Horace Vernet (
30 June 1789 -17 January 1863 ) was a French painter of battles, portraits, andOrientalist Arab subjects.Vernet was born to
Carle Vernet , another famous painter, who was himself a son ofClaude Joseph Vernet . Fittingly, he was born in theParis Louvre , while his parents were staying there during theFrench Revolution . Vernet quickly developed a disdain for the high-minded seriousness of academic French art influenced byClassicism , and decided to paint subjects taken mostly from contemporary culture. Therefore, he began depicting the Frenchsoldier in a more familiar, vernacular manner rather than in an idealized,Davidian fashion. Some of his paintings that represent French soldiers in a more direct, less idealizing style, include "Dog of the Regiment", "Trumpeter's Horse", and "Death of Poniatowski".In 1819, Vernet began depicting immense, large-scale battle scenes. Although his works were painted with good speed, they were considered to be some of the best pictures of art regarding battle scenes. Also, rather than capturing certain episodes of battles, Vernet chose entire campaigns, such as the
Battle of Italy and the capture ofRome . Also, some of his more well-known pieces included those from the French Revolution, and arguably his most famous work of art was the "Battle of the Bridge of Arcole", which he painted in 1826. That piece depicted young Napoleon leading his troops across a bridge with a tattered flag. The actual battle,Battle of the Bridge of Arcole ("Le Bataille du Pont d'Arcole" in French), occurred in 1796.Vernet depicted many other battles of the
Napoleonic Wars , including theBattle of Jena . Also, he accompanied the French Army during theCrimean War , producing several important paintings, including one of theBattle of the Alma . In addition, his depictions ofAlgeria n battles, such as the French occupation of thePass of Mouzaia , were well-received, as they were natural depictions of the French army at hand. In fact, when EmperorLouis Napoleon asked Vernet to remove a certain obnoxious general from one of his paintings, he replied, "I am a painter of history, sire, and I will not violate the truth." Vernet died in his hometown ofParis in 1863.In Arthur Conan Doyle's
Sherlock Holmes story "The Greek Interpreter" Holmes claims to be related to Vernet, stating, "My ancestors were country squires... my grandmother... was the sister of Vernet, the French artist.""See also:"
List of French people External links
* [http://www.military-prints.com/horace_vernet.htm Horace Vernet]
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