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Jules Joseph Lefebvre

Moderate Aktualizováno: 2025-12-06

Research Status: Moderate Last Updated: 2025-12-06 Diary Coverage: Up to 1882-05-03

Overview

Jules Joseph Lefebvre (14 March 1836 – 24 February 1911) was a French academic painter and educator, best known for his idealized allegorical and mythological female figures, particularly his paintings of draped women.

Relevance to Marie

Lefebvre was a professor at the Académie Julian in Paris, where Marie studied painting from 1877. Marie references his distinctive artistic style in her diary, describing herself as looking like "une figure de Lefèvre qui sait si bien dessiner ces corps souples et jeunes dans de pudiques draperies" (a Lefebvre figure, who knows so well how to draw those supple young bodies in modest draperies).

This reference shows Marie's deep familiarity with the art world of her time and her ability to compare herself to artistic ideals. Lefebvre's characteristic style of painting elegant, idealized female figures in flowing draperies was instantly recognizable in the Parisian art world.

Historical Context

Education and Career

  • Entered the École des Beaux-Arts in 1852, studied under Léon Cogniet
  • Won the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1861 for "The Death of Priam"
  • Studied in Italy, where he painted his first nude, "A Bather" (1863)
  • Became professor at Académie Julian, influencing over 1,500 students

Artistic Style

Upon returning from Italy, Lefebvre became disenchanted with academic focus on working from memory and sought to paint directly from life. The result was a series of statuesque women, both nudes and draped, painted as mythological or allegorical figures:
  • "La Vérité" (Truth, 1870) - nude woman holding a mirror
  • "Pandora"
  • "Diana"
  • "Sappho"
  • "Mary Magdalene"
  • "Ophelia"

Recognition

  • Exhibited 72 portraits at Paris Salon between 1855-1898
  • Elected to French Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1891
  • Won Medal of Honor in 1898
  • Awarded Legion of Honor

Notable Students

Fernand Khnopff, Kenyon Cox, Félix Vallotton, Ernst Friedrich von Liphart, Georges Rochegrosse, Edmund C. Tarbell

References in Diary

  • First mentioned: 1882-05-03 (stylistic reference to his draped figures)

Sources