What Ingres meant to Sargent, Degas, and Gérôme

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:01]Jean Augugust Dominic Ang was born in Monttobon, France in 1780 to a musical and artistic father and by 1792 at the age of 12 the family resettles in Tulus where his father recognizes the talent of his young son and enrolls him into a series of art classes to find where his gifts are best suited. It should be noted that the young Ang was as gifted with the violin, so much so that for a time he thought that it might be an option, but it was soon discounted when he sees the reproductions of Raphael's paintings and can't let loose the power of his work.

[00:00:36]The Madonnaia by Rafael began for Angion to get proper training and leaving the studio of his landscape teacher Muns Briant, he starts off to Paris and is enrolled into Jacqu Lui Davided's Atelier. It was a match made in the heavens. Davided soon takes the artist under his wing, and with very strict adherence to David's rigid training, Ang begins to shine. For four productive years, Ang continued to show great promise, and his devotion to his mentor was never forgotten, and by 1800, he obtained the coveted second place in the yearly Echol de Bazar competition, but finally carried off the all-important Grand Prix in 1801 at the youthful age of just 21.

[00:01:19]In the self-portraits, there is the youthful confidence of an artist ready to fulfill the promise of his talents.

[00:01:25]But the road to becoming a portrait painter becomes a rough one, as his talents are tested by the criticar as having a lack of emotional liveless about the personages he painted.

[00:01:37]But for a young painter just striking out to solicit employment, it is difficult enough to get the ball rolling than to straight away have to contend with opinions that may defer more work.

[00:01:47]But the preoccupation for Ang is more and more evident that his focus is not only on the sitter but on using his innate ability to design and he does it above all others. The linear facility for Ang is to find joy in the minutia of design elements that surround his subject.

[00:02:04]His drawing skills are almost an effort to delve ever more deeply into the arabesque which is not only becoming his trademark but a necessity for his natural well-being as a painter. It is also well to point out that Ang is ever the humble student of Raphael, and history painting is his obsession to demonstrate his skills, not with values, but with pure pictorial design.

[00:02:28]Ang would prove to be in many ways ahead of his time. It will take some years, unfortunately, for the general public to wake up to his genius, as we shall see.

[00:02:36]One senses the youthful impatience for glory and achievement. Ardent faith, indomitable courage, the self-discipline of a dutiful soldier is unconsciously depicted in his self-portraits and submissions to the Paris salon of 1806, of which several are very ambitious and important works while he is yet in Rome, including his Napoleon I on his imperial throne, and several portraits, possibly including the portrait of his father pictured here. His paintings are not at all wellreceived by critics to his utter dismay. And he states openly, "So the salon is the scene of my disgrace, the scoundrels. They waited until I was away to assassinate my reputation. I have never been so unhappy." He vows never again to exhibit at the salon since it causes so much suffering. Due to his disappointment, he breaks his engagement to Julie Forestier, blaming his self-doubt and his unwillingness to return to Paris. The negative criticism is too much to deal with.

[00:03:36]However, he is yet productive in Rome and tries again in 1808, two years later, with submissions of the bather and his sphinx painting.

[00:03:45]Confident in himself, he remains productive and continues with portrait work and other titles such as the sleeper, which is bought by Napoleon's general and brother-in-law, Yoim Murat.

[00:03:56]Although he has the bitter taste of rejection by Paris, Ang continues to receive commissions for portraits, plans, imaginative, and history paintings, he is granted studio space and a stipen to help while in Rome. In 1812, at 32 years old, he is content to marry Laura Loretta Zoega, the eldest daughter of a Danish archaeologist then in Rome. But his parents discouraged the idea because of his bleak financial state at the time, and he breaks it off.

[00:04:25]Although facing uncertain prospects, in 1813, Ang marries a young woman, Meline Chappelle, who was recommended to him by her friends in Rome. After a courtship carried out through correspondence, he proposed without having met her, and she accepted, and by all accounts, their marriage was a happy one. Meline's faith was unwavering in support of her husband.

[00:04:46]So in 1814 with his connections to the royal family he travels to Naples and is commissioned for more portraits. At the same time continues his history themes that he longs to keep up which is his obsession. His famous cyine chapel painting is also of this date and he again sends them to the salon in Paris.

[00:05:07]The Mura commissions are never paid for due to the political disruptions and upheaval and they flee the country. Ang is faced with several pictures that are confiscated and held, with years of debts he still pays for due to unpaid works, and Penniles is left to fend for himself to do whatever he could, resulting in his now famous portrait drawings that have become some of the finest artworks ever done. At this juncture, it is important to note that Napoleon is deposed and exiled. But after 9 months of exile from Ela, he returns to France to resume power known as the 100 days. but is again forced to abdicate and is exiled to St. Helena in the South Atlantic and Louie resumes power. All the while Ang's works are frozen, placed in storage till things settle down.

[00:05:58]This disruption, however, provides an unexpected but pleasant result for art. His portrait drawings are produced by the hundreds.

[00:06:06]And it is at this point we wish to focus our attention to highlight some of the brilliant portraits on paper that have been established as a record of perhaps his highest achievement. Although it would not be until after 1822 that Ang would begin to receive his due recognition and the maximum regard by his fellow artists as one of the most important figures in 19th century painting with less push back from Paris.

[00:06:30]Nevertheless, a re-examination of his work begins to take shape. The salon is realizing his great contributions, and while he is frequently frustrated because of his desire to paint history paintings, stating he would prefer to work exclusively at history paintings and not waste his time on less important works. His portrait commissions continue, as well as official appointments by the salon. His good fortunes change as he is given praise for his work submitted at the salon of 1825 and awarded the rank of chevlier in the Legion of Honor. And just two days later at a ceremony, King Charles personally presents him the cross of the Legion of Honor, which Ang later describes as the happiest day of his life.

[00:07:17]As we turn to the exquisite drawings by Ang over a long period he covers a whole range of formats from the single figure half and full length family pairs and groups and portrait heads. Then there are the remarkable drawing studies for pictures. It is fascinating to keep in mind that many of them measure little more than 13 by 8 in with accessories that may occur much smaller at times, but the breadth of treatment can be appreciated by every artist that has given similar exercises a try. Through his habit of always drawing with his eye, even when there was no pencil in his hand, the surgical sharpness of his vision was kept always at the highest.

[00:07:57]He could draw lines with the unairring accuracy and swiftness of an archer shooting arrow. He never missed.

[00:08:04]"They say that I paint swiftly," confessed Horus Vernet. "But if only they had watched Ang when he drew, compared to him, I am nothing but a tortoise."

[00:08:15]"The rapidity of Ang's hand in capturing the essential lines of a moving figure is said to have been nothing less than prodigious. He could have drawn a man falling from a roof with faithful accuracy," wrote Amorei Duval, one of his pupils. His love of drawing was a passion that became almost an obsession.

[00:08:35]Drawing asserted Ang was 3/4 and a half of painting.

[00:08:40]By drawing he meant the expression, the inner form, the structure, the modeling, everything in fact except the coloring of the picture. Into his drawings he poured his very life and soul. This is the reason that the collection of drawings and sketches hidden away in many quarters or museums are so treasured. Despite his limitations, despite his quick-tempered irassibility, despite a tendency to become a trifle, ridiculous and even bourgeois in his accent, he had hit upon a profound truth. Ang knew that there must be a passionate adoration of the truth in an artist's mind, if that truth is to live through its expression in drawing or painting or poetry.

[00:09:24]Art, he realized intuitively, must be a thing of love.

[00:09:29]In 1826, Ang opens up a two- room atalier at the Rudare Sanjgera, which has since been renamed to Ru Viscanti. By 1828, just 2 years later, he began to accept students with 14 accepted to start, but the number soon escalated, so much so that he provides room in his own atellier for the overflow of students. His dedication is such that Ang often regards his pupils as family, and in the portrait drawings he produces, there are a number of his students privileged to have their likenesses forever immortalized.

[00:10:02]By December of 1829, at the age of 49, Ang is named professor at the Echol de Bozas, to which he exclaims, "The hour of my independence has just sounded, and I am free. I receive 1,600 Franks from the institute which lodges me. My students bring me 300 Franks each month.

[00:10:22]I can thus live quite well and set aside all that I earn with my paintbrush.

[00:10:27]Ang was made president of the Ekll in 1833.

[00:10:31]However, during this period, there was upheaval in the streets with street fighting known as the July revolution where Ang and his compatriate artists including Dequa, Paul Dearos, Dea, and Jean Baptiste Geran stood guard at the Louvre to protect the collections remaining there overnight. The government again is overthrown with the removal of Charles I 10th replaced by Louis Phipe who was crowned king also known as the July monarchy and remained for the next 18 years. Among Ang's pupils there is Epilelet Flandron who won the coveted predome of 1832 and his picture was shown in Ang's studio before it debuts at the salon. The canvas of Msure Bertan which hangs in the Louvre is accepted by authorities as an example of Ang's supremacy in the field of portraiture.

[00:11:23]Painted at the age of 52, it is noticeably marked by mature restraint, unsurpassed design and overall nobility.

[00:11:31]It is one of those paintings that rivets the attention immediately. It radiates a personality that is superbly convincing and befitting of the subject.

[00:11:41]The portrait painting of Lui Matau, Count Malay, prime minister of Lu Phipe.

[00:11:46]The portrait is shown at Angs studio privately. A commentary from a journalist writes, "You enter the small salon that serves as Musu Ang.

[00:11:56]And all of a sudden, you find yourself in the presence of eyes that see," referring to the portrait. A mouth that is about to speak, a head that thinks.

[00:12:05]It is a new masterpiece by Musur Ang or to be more accurate it is the distinguished descendant of the great judge the glory of French magistr mole.

[00:12:17]The portrait is presented to the pale deer for the royal family to view at which time Ang departs for his school in Rome. Ang helps to expand the villa Medichi. He adds rooms for the life classes, obtains many more antique casts, and of course produces even more pencil drawings numbering at least 23, many of which become gifts to friends.

[00:12:40]Ang remained in Rome for 6 years. He devoted much of his attention to the training of the painting students as he was later to do at the EKL de BZA in Paris. As mentioned earlier, Ang reorganized the academy and assisted his students in getting public commissions, including Henry Layman, pictured here in this brilliant drawing, who was among those beneficiaries that gained a leg up at the difficult world of public notice for artists. He remained a devoted fan of opera and considerable attention to musical fetss as one of the focuses at the academy.

[00:13:15]He formed a long friendship with France list and the composer Charles Gunnau who was a pensioner at his time at the academy. He joined the music students and his friend Nicolo Paganini who was also portrayed in pencil on paper and performed Beethoven's violin works. Gunn wrote that Ang had the tenderness of an infant and the indignation of an apostle. His resentment against the Paris art establishment for his failure at the 1834 salon did not subside. In 1836, he refused a major commission from the French Minister of the Interior because the commission had been offered to another previously. Ang was deeply romantic. He never let go of his longtime attachments and sentiment to the earlier artists of the Renaissance and tried very hard to maintain their lofty performances.

[00:14:03]But he was, in fact, as can be seen in his drawings, a very disciplined artist of facts and realism as it suited him.

[00:14:10]His ability to record faces and gestures are spoton, with no hesitation to get to the point without error. A lesson to all that would follow him as the century drew on as with that of artists John Singer Sergeant Edgar Dar and even the naturalist movement painters such as Bastian Leage. All were enraptured with Ang's workmanship and qualities of pure design.

[00:14:35]Finally, we have the two portraits seen here of Jacqu Louie Leblanc and his wife painted by Ang in 1823 and were later bought by Edgar Dar when the paintings were offered for sale. The portraits are a brilliant example of Ang's portraiture, though he lamented doing portraits he was nevertheless one of the best. His workmanship never wavered, and he is appreciated by the artistic community for the high standard he stood for.

[00:15:01]And finally, we hope you enjoyed viewing the works by Ang and we want to thank you, our valued subscribers. Remember to add a like so we can continue. And till next time, bye for now.

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