Léon Bonnat French Artist Extraordinaire

Face to face, and alone for hours at a time with a person who may be making history, the artist worthy of the name scrutinizes not merely every line of their features, but the very soul of his model, and often makes interesting discoveries. When, as is the case with Léon Bonat, these opportunities extend over half a century, he should know every hidden line that regulates the movements of the eternal human comedy. It has been stated, to have been painted by Bonat is to have proved yourself somebody, to have had the seal set on your hard-won reputation, to have won, as it were, official recognition of your merit, your weight, your talent, your wealth. He is in France what Millet is in England. If the walls of all the studios he has occupied in Paris could speak, they would have tales to tell of half the famous men and women of our time, poets, artists, writers, beauties, statesmen, princes, and presidents, have sat to Bonat for their portraits. And Bonat was quite popular with American students in Paris. He spoke Spanish and Italian, and knew English quite well, to the relief of many beginning Americans. In May 1905 he succeeded Paul Dubois as director of the École des Beaux-Arts. Bonat was also a member of the Institute, and one of only 14 artists who had administrative power over the Académie des Beaux-Arts, and therefore the École des Beaux-Arts. An important function, to be sure. He had many artist friends and connections among the more independent artists, such as Edgar Degas, whom he met during his stay in Rome, and who painted two portraits of Bonat. The popularity of Bonat can be attested to in a story he shares about a planned trip to London. I had promised some of my friends in London to go and see a curious artistic exhibition at the Savile Club, but how my intention came to the ears of the King I cannot say. All I know is that 24 hours or so before I was to leave Paris, I received a telegram from Windsor. His Majesty the King begs Monsieur Bonat to do him the pleasure of dining with him the day after tomorrow Sunday at Windsor. An invitation from such a quarter is clearly not to be refused. It was addressed, moreover, less to me personally than to French art as a whole, and I accepted it therefore with joy. In the first place, however, I had to set about getting the In another story, we learn of the portrait sitting of Monsieur Thiers, the French president, and the general demands agreed to by Monsieur Bonat for the scheduled three-hour portrait sitting. However, with the constant interruptions in Bonat's studio, it was clear that some other arrangement was necessary. Painter and model agreed that it would be best to transfer the sittings to a room, to be set apart for the purpose in Thiers's own house. Remembering the warning he had received, Bonat stipulated that during the progress of the work nobody was to be allowed to enter the room on any pretext whatsoever without his consent. Hardly had the painter settled down to his easel before the door of the room was opened. Madame Thiers, piped the president in his shrill voice, go away. But, my dear, if I want anything I will ring. But, my dear, once for all, Madame Thiers, I beg you to leave us alone. The door shut with a sharp click, and the interrupted séance was resumed. In about an hour's time, however, Bonat's ears again detected a fumbling sound behind him, and turning round, he saw another door this time opening very quietly and softly, followed by the intrusion of a venerable white head. On this occasion, Monsieur Thiers became almost convulsed with rage. For the last time, Madame Thiers, he shrieked, I order you to go. Once more the door shut with a bang, but not before Bonat had time to read in the lady's eyes an expression that would have made a less nervous man very uneasy. Monsieur Thiers himself had a violent fit of laughing. Suppose I had thrashed her, he said, when he recovered his equanimity. What a beautiful story the papers could have made out of it, eh? Can't you fancy you are reading that righteously indignant article in the Figaro, which, as it is, always refers to me as that sinister old scoundrel. Bonat was an open-minded but disciplined teacher, who stressed simplicity in art above a highly polished finish, as well as the overall effect rather than detail, in short, to establish the whole look. So Bonat's emphasis on overall effect on the one hand and rigorous drawing on the other was the key feature of his approach. Some of Bonat's more notable students included John Singer Sargent, Stanhope Forbes, Gustave Caillebotte, Peder Kroyer, Thomas Eakins, Charles Sprague Peirce, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and many more. Léon Bonat was a salon favourite, and his subject pictures offered a wide range of topics. After all, the Salon was, in fact, the cinema of the day with crowds coming to France from around the world, not just for the Salon itself, but venturing to visit the many open ateliers with artists looking to attract patrons, some of them curious for the next bright rising star. However, the Salon of 1880 was a particularly memorable one. Its importance As Bastien Lepage made his debut in The Large Picture, Joan of Arc, a stunning painting of the young maiden responding to the voices she hears. Then we have The Good Samaritan by Aimé Moreau, a starkly realistic portrayal of a beaten and robbed man left by the wayside just to be rescued by a caring Samaritan who happens by. And finally, the heartfelt and moving painting by Monsieur Bonat of the biblical account of a suffering job who was tested by God and proven faithful. These paintings represented a trio of artworks not soon to be forgotten and written about critically in the Paris newspapers, and a topic enthusiastically discussed within art circles. Another remarkable picture by Monsieur Bonat is The Martyrdom of Saint-Denis, which was created in 1886, a large painting again displaying the outstanding skills of his drawing capability. The figures in the picture portray a supernatural event with shock and terror, emphasized by the angularities of the figures that are brilliantly designed. Although Bonat was prolific in his output of works, he did not seem to be preoccupied with doing many female nude works that were very common by artists at the Salon, but he chose to stick to the occasional historical theme while maintaining a robust portrait trade for the rest of his life, as we can see by the examples shown. His portraits have a similar austere style as that of Fontaine Latour and his portrait work. Bonat never married and lived for much of his life with his mother and sister in the Place Vintemille, renamed Place Adolphe-Max. But he was an avid collector of many fine artworks that would eventually be given to the city of Bayonne, now at the Musée Bonat. Most of the works in the museum are from the personal collections of Bonat amassed over a lifetime of traveling around Europe. It includes an exceptionally fine collection of old master drawings from Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Ingres, and Géricault. Bonat died on the 8th of September in 1922 at Manchy-Saint-Éloi and was buried at the Cimetière Saint-Étienne-Bayonne. His work will live on and is a testament to a life that did not hold back but achieved the very heights of artistry and craftsmanship admired by many. We hope you enjoyed Bonat's work and our presentation, and if you would, please consider subscribing if you haven't already, and it helps to add a like as well. So thank you and bye for now. Thanks for watching.