Paul Flandrin


Paul Jean Flandrin was a French painter. He was the younger brother of the painters Auguste Flandrin and Hippolyte Flandrin.

Life

Flandrin first trained with Antoine Duclaux and Jean-François Legendre-Héral, before joining the École nationale supérieure des [beaux-arts de Lyon|École des beaux-arts de Lyon], then the École des beaux-arts de Paris. He then joined the studio of Dominique Ingres. He competed for the prix de Rome twice and was unsuccessful both times, but still managed to get to Rome at his own expense, joining his brother Hippolyte, who had already won the prize. They spent four years in Rome, during which Paul specialized in landscape painting, making studies after nature which he later worked up into history paintings for the Paris salons. He also regularly collaborated with his brother, providing the landscape backgrounds for the latter's works.
As well as being one of the most notable proponents of the classical landscape tradition alongside Édouard Bertin and Alexandre Desgoffe, Paul Flandrin evolved later in his career towards a more naturalistic style. He also produced portraits in oils and pencil as well as caricatures. He and Aline Desgoffe had one child, Joseph Flandrin, who became an architect and was the father of the painter Marthe Flandrin.

Works in public collections

Landscape, a proscribed man says farewell to his family or Sabine Mountains, 1838, musée du Louvre, ParisSolitude, 1857, musée du Louvre, ParisPenitents for the dead in the Roman Campagna, 1840, musée des beaux-arts de LyonThe Atlas Gorge, c.1844-1845, musée d'art et d'histoire de LangresThe Banks of the Rhône at Givors, 1855, musée des beaux-arts de LyonThe School at Saint-Denis, from the park, Palais de la Légion d'honneur, ParisThe Head of an African, ca. 1830, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle

Exhibitions