Background
Jules Bastien-Lepage was born on November 1, 1848 in Damvillers, Meuse, France. His father was an artist, who also grew grapes in a vineyard to support the family.
14 Rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris, France
In 1867, the painter left for Paris, where he enrolled at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts.
Jules Bastien-Lepage was born on November 1, 1848 in Damvillers, Meuse, France. His father was an artist, who also grew grapes in a vineyard to support the family.
Initially, Jules was trained by his father, who was also an artist. Later in his life, he studied in Verdun, where he received his first formal training. In 1867, the painter left for Paris, where he enrolled at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts. Alexandre Cabanel was among Jules' mentors there. During the time of his studies at the École, Bastien-Lepage rarely attended classes and spent most of the time working alone.
In 1870, Bastien-Lepage fought in the Franco-Prussian war, where he was wounded. When the war ended, Jules returned home in order to paint the villagers and recover from his wound. In 1873, he made a picture of his father in the garden, a work, that would bring the painter his first success at the Paris Salon in 1874. Though he had exhibited works in 1870 and 1872 at the Salon, they did not attract any attention.
In 1875, his success was confirmed by the work "First Communion". The same year, Jules took the second place in the competition for the Prix de Rome with his "Angels appearing to the Shepherds", the work, which would be later exhibited at the Exposition Universelle in 1878.
By 1879, Bastien-Lepage was recognized in France as an important exponent of rural naturalism. Once Bastien-Lepage began to achieve fame, he travelled to England, Switzerland and Italy, returning with landscapes, portraits and genre paintings, as well as hybrid pictures of children and adolescents, such as "The London Bootblack".
In 1880, the painter received the commission to paint the Prince of Wales. During the last years of his life, he continued to create his paintings, such as "The Beggar", "Portrait of Albert Wolf", "Le Père Jacques" and others. His last work was "The Forge". In the spring of 1885, not long after his death, a special commemorative exhibition, featuring more than two hundred of his paintings and drawings, was staged at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1889, a selection of Jules' finest works was put on show at the Paris Exposition.