Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier
Un Cuirassier, 1876
Ernest Meissonier was best known for his exquisitely rendered genre scenes, which drew inspiration …
Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier, also known as Ernest Meissonier, was a French painter with a proclivity for history and war paintings. Prodigiously talented, Meissonier began exhibiting at the French Salon at the age of 19. He trained in the studio of Léon Cogniet, but was largely self-taught; he honed his meticulous rendering of detail by studying the works of Dutch painters of the 17th century, as well as by closely observing costumes, armor, and nature. His favorite subjects were the Napoleonic wars and episodes in the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. Though his paintings usually celebrated heroic military campaigns, Meissonier also depicted the horrors of war.
Ernest Meissonier was best known for his exquisitely rendered genre scenes, which drew inspiration from the Dutch masters and were praised for their “microscopic” perfection. But he was also a serious student of military subjects, creating a series of canvases on major episodes in the life of Napoleon I. The present …
Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier, also known as Ernest Meissonier, was a French painter with a proclivity for history and war paintings. Prodigiously talented, Meissonier began exhibiting at the French Salon at the age of 19. He trained in the studio of Léon Cogniet, but was largely self-taught; he honed his meticulous rendering of detail by studying the works of Dutch painters of the 17th century, as well as by closely observing costumes, armor, and nature. His favorite subjects were the Napoleonic wars and episodes in the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. Though his paintings usually celebrated heroic military campaigns, Meissonier also depicted the horrors of war.
