Georges Michel (painter)
Encyclopedia
Georges Michel was a French
landscape painter
. An important precursor of the Barbizon school, Michel was practically unknown during his lifetime, and worked as copyist and restorer.
Michel was born in Paris
. His father was an employee at Les Halles
, a large marketplace in the central part of the city. Michel's first patron, at a very early age, was a certain Monsieur de Chalue. His first painting teacher was one Leduc, a history painter, and later Michel studied under Nicolas-Antoine Taunay. Although he exhibited at the Paris Salon
, he failed to achieve recognition and earned his living by working as copyist and restorer; he specialized in Dutch paintings and was helped in business by Élisabeth-Louise Vigée-Le Brun's husband.
Most of Michel's work concentrates on rural landscapes in the area around Paris. He was influenced by Dutch landscape painters such as Jacob van Ruisdael and Meindert Hobbema
. Michel worked in oil and watercolor with equal facility. He was forgotten for decades after his death; the first large exhibition of his work was presented by the Parisian Jean Charpentier hotel, in 1927. Today his works are found in museums around the world, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Portland Art Museum
, Vanderbilt University
Gallery, Strasbourg
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Victoria and Albert Museum
, and many others.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
landscape painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
. An important precursor of the Barbizon school, Michel was practically unknown during his lifetime, and worked as copyist and restorer.
Michel was born in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. His father was an employee at Les Halles
Les Halles
Les Halles is an area of Paris, France, located in the 1er arrondissement, just south of the fashionable rue Montorgueil. It is named for the large central wholesale marketplace, which was demolished in 1971, to be replaced with an underground modern shopping precinct, the Forum des Halles...
, a large marketplace in the central part of the city. Michel's first patron, at a very early age, was a certain Monsieur de Chalue. His first painting teacher was one Leduc, a history painter, and later Michel studied under Nicolas-Antoine Taunay. Although he exhibited at the Paris Salon
Paris Salon
The Salon , or rarely Paris Salon , beginning in 1725 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Between 1748–1890 it was the greatest annual or biannual art event in the Western world...
, he failed to achieve recognition and earned his living by working as copyist and restorer; he specialized in Dutch paintings and was helped in business by Élisabeth-Louise Vigée-Le Brun's husband.
Most of Michel's work concentrates on rural landscapes in the area around Paris. He was influenced by Dutch landscape painters such as Jacob van Ruisdael and Meindert Hobbema
Meindert Hobbema
Meindert Hobbema , was a landscape painter of the Dutch school.-Life:The facts of his life are somewhat obscure. His chronology and signed pictures substantially contradict each other...
. Michel worked in oil and watercolor with equal facility. He was forgotten for decades after his death; the first large exhibition of his work was presented by the Parisian Jean Charpentier hotel, in 1927. Today his works are found in museums around the world, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Portland Art Museum
Portland Art Museum
The Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon, United States, was founded in 1892, making it the oldest art museum on the West Coast and seventh oldest in the United States. Upon completion of the most recent renovations, the Portland Art Museum became one of the twenty-five largest art museums in...
, Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
Gallery, Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
, and many others.
Further reading
- Chilvers, Ian. 2004. Michel, Georges. The Oxford Dictionary of Art
- Larguier, Léo. 1927. Georges Michel (1763–1843), in: Les petits maîtres français. Delpeuch, Paris.
- Sensier, Alfred. 1873. Étude sur Georges Michel (Paris, Lemerre, 1873).
External links
- Works by Georges Michel (artcyclopedia.com)
- Gallery of works by Georges Michel in French collections