Isidore Bonheur
Encyclopedia
Isidore Bonheur was a French sculptor. Born in Bordeaux
, he was the third child of Raymond Bonheur and brother of Rosa Bonheur
. He studied painting at first, however, in 1849 he enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, though he made his debut at the salon the previous year. He exhibited regularly at the royal Academy
and won a gold medal in 1889. He had given up painting in favour of sculpture early on in his career, and, though noted primarily for his small animalier
groups. Many of his bronzes were edited by Hippolyte Peyrol, who was his uncle by marriage. The Peyrol casts for both Rosa and Isidore Bonheur are exceptionally well sculpted, which suggests a strong working relationship between the founder and sculptor. There is little doubt that Isidore Bonheur was an acute observer of nature; his animals were not anthropomorphized, but modelled to catch movement or posture characteristic of the particular species. He achieved this most successfully with his sculptures of horse
s, which are usually depicted as relaxed rather than spirited, and which are among his most renowned works.
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, he was the third child of Raymond Bonheur and brother of Rosa Bonheur
Rosa Bonheur
Rosa Bonheur, born Marie-Rosalie Bonheur, was a French animalière, realist artist, and sculptor. As a painter she became famous primarily for two chief works: Ploughing in the Nivernais , which was first exhibited at the Salon of 1848, and is now in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris depicts a team...
. He studied painting at first, however, in 1849 he enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, though he made his debut at the salon the previous year. He exhibited regularly at the royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
and won a gold medal in 1889. He had given up painting in favour of sculpture early on in his career, and, though noted primarily for his small animalier
Animalier
An animalier is an artist, mainly from the 19th century, who specializes in, or is known for, skill in the realistic portrayal of animals. "Animal painter" is the more general term for earlier artists...
groups. Many of his bronzes were edited by Hippolyte Peyrol, who was his uncle by marriage. The Peyrol casts for both Rosa and Isidore Bonheur are exceptionally well sculpted, which suggests a strong working relationship between the founder and sculptor. There is little doubt that Isidore Bonheur was an acute observer of nature; his animals were not anthropomorphized, but modelled to catch movement or posture characteristic of the particular species. He achieved this most successfully with his sculptures of horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s, which are usually depicted as relaxed rather than spirited, and which are among his most renowned works.