Henri Fantin-Latou

Henri Fantin-Latour (1836-1904) was a French painter, printmaker, and illustrator. He is known especially for his still-life paintings, especially of flowers, and for his portraits of contemporary artists and writers.

Henri Fantin-Latour Biography

• Born on January 14, 1836 in Grenoble, France.
• His first teacher was his father, a famous portrait painter.
• He later studied at the Lecoq de Boisbaudran school and also attended the École des Beaux-Arts.
• He exhibited at the official French Salons, but also at the dissident Salon des refusé in 1863.
• In 1876, he married fellow painter Victoria Dubourg.
• He spent his final years summering at his wife's family's country home at Bulle in Normandy, where he died on 25 August 1904.
• Like many artists of his time, he was also interested in photography and took pictures for his artwork.

Representative works

• "Roses"
• "White Lilacs"
• "An Artist's Studio" (1870)
• Around the Table (Autour du piano) (1885)

Fantin-Latour's style and achievements

Fantin-Latour started out as a realist painter, but later developed close ties with impressionist painters. His works are characterized by meticulous depiction and a delicate sense of color, and his still lifes of flowers in particular are highly acclaimed for their luxury and delicacy.

He also produced many group portraits of artists and writers of his time, which are important historical documents and demonstrate his close ties with the avant-garde artists of his time, making them a valuable document in the history of art .

Fantin-Latour was not particularly well-regarded during his lifetime, but after his death his work was reevaluated and he came to be recognized as one of the leading painters of 19th century French art. His still lifes continue to deeply move us, even today, with their delicate beauty and poetic sentiment .