Ghent, Belgium
In October 15, 1843, Jules began his studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, remaining there until 1846.
14 Rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris, France
Jules studied under Michel-Martin Drolling at the École des Beaux-Art in Paris.
1886
23 Quai de Conti, 75270 Paris, France
In 1886, Breton was elected to Institut de France.
1899
Burlington House, Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 0BD, United Kingdom
In 1899, Breton became a foreign member of the Royal Academy of Arts.
In 1889, Jules was made a Commander of the National Order of the Legion of Honour.
Ghent, Belgium
In October 15, 1843, Jules began his studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, remaining there until 1846.
14 Rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris, France
Jules studied under Michel-Martin Drolling at the École des Beaux-Art in Paris.
23 Quai de Conti, 75270 Paris, France
In 1886, Breton was elected to Institut de France.
In 1889, Jules was made a Commander of the National Order of the Legion of Honour.
Burlington House, Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 0BD, United Kingdom
In 1899, Breton became a foreign member of the Royal Academy of Arts.
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1876
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1900
Jules Breton was born on May 1, 1827 in Courrières, France. His father, Marie-Louis Breton, was a land supervisor for a wealthy landowner. His mother died, when Jules was four years old. Also, he had a younger brother, Émile Breton, who was a painter and engraver.
Initially, Jules studied at the Catholic seminary of Saint Bertin near Saint-Omer, France. He was the black sheep among the students, often misbehaving in such ways, that would warrant his father’s castigation. It was a difficult time for Breton, and upon learning, that he had been slapped by the assistant director of the seminary, his father and uncle moved him to a school in Douai, where he gained his first experience in drawing and classical literature. Also, it was at that time, that Jules became interested in poetry.
In 1843, Jules met Félix De Vigne, who was a Belgian painter and professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. He was so impressed by the works of young Breton, that he invited him to study on a trial period for three months, which began on October 15, 1843, at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. As a result, Breton's studies in Belgium lasted for three years.
In 1846, Jules traveled to Antwerp, where he studied art under Gustaf Wappers and spent some time copying the works of Flemish masters. The following year, in 1847, he left for Paris in order to continue his studies. There, in France, the painter studied under Michel-Martin Drolling at the École des Beaux-Arts. At that time, Breton also befriended François Bonvin and Gustave Brion.
Early in his career, Breton was seized by a desire to create a more poignantly distressing sort of imagery, despite his inclinations towards nature and the peasants, which would later come to fruition. In 1948, he took part in the Salon for the first time, where he exhibited his "Misère et Désespoir" (Want and Despair), a socially conscious work, that clearly spoke to his experiences and understanding of the 1848-1849 conflict. In 1851, Jules exhibited his "Faim" (Hunger), also a subject, which highlighted social problems of the period. Thus, Breton began his artistic career with a violent sort of Realism, that did not shy away from depicting the depressed state of the lower classes in Paris. Later in his career, he would choose to comment on social and economic issues through less overt references.
By 1852, the painter had started to paint landscapes in the Parisian suburbs and altered his style so that it would be more suitable to Salon entries and potential patrons. When his health deteriorated, Jules came back to his native Courrières. This move back to his native land would not only help him to cope with his sickness, but also serve as inspiration for his work, as he was immersed in nature and the rustic life of its inhabitants. This period is well characterized by one of his most important works, entitled "Les Glaneuses" (The Gleaners). The work was exhibited at the 1855 Salon and earned him a third-class medal. The painter continued to exhibit his works throughout the 1870's, the 1880's and the 1890's and his reputation grew.
Towards the end of Berton's career, his works carried a more symbolic tone, often focusing on a single figure within the composition. This shift to attempt life-size figures may also have been influenced by his 1870 trip to Italy, where he viewed the Sistine chapel and Giotto’s frescoes. After almost fifty years of consistent work, Breton’s images and execution remained fairly true to his original conception.
Also, at the same time, the nationalist sentiment, following the Franco-Prussian War, had a great impact on the development of Breton’s work in the 1870's. While he continued to interpret rustic life with the blend of poetic sentiment, elevated style and realistic observation, that earned him so much acclaim during the Second Empire, two new, even opposing tendencies can be seen in his work of this decade. He made his classicized peasants more monumental than those in his most ambitious earlier works, and he painted them in a more naturalistic, vigorous, less controlled fashion.
Between 1889-1900, Breton acted as a jury member of the Salon.
Jules Breton was one of the best known painters of his period in his native France, as well as in England and the United States. His most important works include "Women Gleaning", "The Day after St Sebastian's Day", "Blessing the Fields" and others.
In 1886, his work "The Communicants" was sold at auction in New York for $45,000 — the highest price paid for the work of a living artist with the exception of a painting by Meissonier. The same year, in 1886, Jules was elected to prestigious Institut de France and this election solidified his status as one of the most respected painters of his day.
In 1889, Jules was made a Commander of the National Order of the Legion of Honour.
Bergere Dans Un Pre
Rainbow in Courrières
The Song of the Lark
Paysanne au repos
The Storm
A Party for Grandfather
The Shepherdess
The Harvest
The Wounded Sea Gull
The Blessing of the Wheat in Artois
Dawn
Fire in a Haystack
Afternoon Repast
The Recall of the Gleaners (study)
Springtime
Evening in the Hamlet of Finistere
The Shepherd's Star
Breton Peasant Woman Holding a Taper
The Blessing of the Wheat in Artois (study)
Girl Guarding the Cows
Evening
A Young Woman in the Artist's Garden, Courrières
The Hoe (sketch for Springtime)
The Departure for the Fields
Young Woman in the Fields
The Communicants
Les Corbeaux, Soir D'Orage
The Close of Day
Le Pardon De Kergoat
Setting out for the Fields
Young Woman in a Field
A Spring by the Sea
La Femme A L'ombrelle
Fisherwoman, Douarnenez
The Recall of the Gleaners
The Vintage at Chateau Lagrange
In the Fields, Evening
Girl with a Rake
Plantation d'un Calvaire
Summer
Le Matin
The Gleaner
A Rest in the Fields
The Water Carrier
Landscape, Courrières, France
Fin du travail (also known as A travers champs)
Young Woman Knitting
A Breton Laundress
Returning from the Fields
The Feast of Saint John
Cowheard
Water Carriers
Young Women Going to a Procession
Woman with a Taper
The Rest of the Haymakers
Asleep In The Woods
The Weeders
The Last Gleanings
Rainbow
A Party for Grandfather (sketch)
Self Portrait
Interior in Kempen
Young Brittany girl knitting
The Washerwomen of the Breton Coast
Gleaners at sunset
Breton Laundresses at Douarnenez
Souvenir de dour Amenez
Evening Call
The Reapers
Untitled
The Shepherd
Harvesters
Last Flowers
Mise En Tas Des Oeillettes
The Reapers
A Fisherman's Daughter
Self Portrait
The Grape Harvest at the Chateau-Lagrange
Quotations:
"I have always had a passion for the Beautiful. I have always believed that the aim of art was to realize the expression of the Beautiful. I believe in the Beautiful - I feel it, I see it! If the man in me is often a pessimist, the artist, on the contrary, is pre-eminently an optimist."
"The public often allow themselves to be deceived by appearances, and do not easily distinguish the false coin from the true. The crowd, led astray at first…we see them going into ecstasies before masterpieces which, at the bottom of their hearts, they still think ugly. True art will always address itself only to a limited public."
Jules married Élodie de Vigne on April 29, 1858. Their marriage produced one daughter — Virginie Demont-Breton, a painter.
