Henri Fantin-Latour, Pt. 3

 

Fantin-Latour's 1859 rejected entry into the
Paris Salon, "Portrait of Mademoiselle Marie Fantin-Latour."

 "At this time, the only route to professional success as a painter was through the Paris Salon, and in 1859 Henri Fantin-Latour made his first attempt to gain admission, sending in three pictures: one a self-portrait, one a portrait of his sister reading, and another of both sisters, one doing embroidery and the other busy with a book. All three were rejected."

"In 1859, Fantin also took another important step - at Whistler's insistence, he paid his first visit to London. Fantin was never an enthusiastic traveler, though he was to visit London twice again, in 1861 and 1864. Surprisingly enough, however, he liked the English food and thought the women beautiful though they dressed without taste. He went to the National Gallery, where he particularly admired the Velazquez of 'Philip IV Hunting Wild Boar.' Later visits were to bring him, besides a wider English acquaintanceship, the first stirrings of his passion for music. It was in London that he first encountered the work of Schumann, a composer who became one of his favourites."

In 1861 Fantin had his first success at the Salon. One of the pictures which was hung was the portrait of a young English painter called W.M. Ridley, to whom he had been introduced by Whistler. Ridley, in turn, made Fantin known to some English friends of his own, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Edwards. The wife took it on herself to be Fantin's agent and propagandist across the Channel. She had great success in selling the artist's flower paintings, which in consequence remained virtually unknown in France."

To be continued...

(Excerpts are from "Henri Fantin-Latour" by Edward Lucie-Smith.)