DOI Heft:
No. 123 (June, 1903)
DOI Artikel:Bénédite, Léonce: Alphonse Legros, painter and sculptor
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19879#0021
The Paintings and Sculpture of A Iphonse Legros
pedagogic, and dominated all Europe. England,
on the other hand, has lived artistically very
much by foreign assistance, and many of its
artists have either commenced or completed their
education on the Continent. Strictly speaking, no
pedagogic tradition has been formed there. Is
this an advantage, or the reverse ? I will not
discuss the point now, but simply state the fact.
It should be known that Legros, when he came
to England in 1863, was strongly impregnated with
the ideas of his master, Lecoq de Boisbaudran,
and^. thought ,of nothing but teaching. Moreover,
all this exceptional master's pupils shared this
same apostolic spirit, and felt it to be their vocation
to spread the glad tidings, and explain the
mysterious sense of design. It was with this
thought in mind that Cazin, in 1871, came to
London to join Legros.
Thus, on his arrival in London, Legros found
himself on almost virgin soil, which it delighted him
to clear and to cultivate. To this task he devoted
more than twenty years of his life, sacrificing his
own work, with its prospects of success and
Other more material1 advantages, to this labour.
Whether in painting or in etching (he restored
to his place of honour, next to Rembrandt, our
great Meryon, whose influence is to be seen in
every modern English plate), or in medal-work
(which he again brought in touch with Pisanello), or
in statuary (he made one feel and love and better
understand the divine genius of antiquity), Legros—
aided by his friend Lanteri, the modest and learned
sculptor—teaching at South Kensington, exercised
a profound and a real influence by means of his
solid, practical and methodical instruction, by force
of his own work, so sober, thoughtful, lofty, grave
and even austere, and by dint of studying and
admiring the great masters, and noting attentively
the grand principles by which they were inspired.
The teacher almost obscured the artist; but,
happily, from time to time there appeared one of
the admirable engravings referred to with such
precise competence by Mr. W. Shaw Sparrow, in
the January number of The Studio. But, in turn,
the etcher caused the painter to be forgotten ; and
therein lay yet another injustice. For with Legros
the painter was uppermost during a certain part of
his life. It was his painted works which first
brought him success, and in days to come they will
serve to place him in no ordinary rank amid that
hierarchy which is constituted by the appreciation
of posterity.
Truth to tell, the canvases painted by Legros are
not very many in number. If we include the
'the dead Christ" from the painting by alphonse legros
(In the Luxembourg 1
4
pedagogic, and dominated all Europe. England,
on the other hand, has lived artistically very
much by foreign assistance, and many of its
artists have either commenced or completed their
education on the Continent. Strictly speaking, no
pedagogic tradition has been formed there. Is
this an advantage, or the reverse ? I will not
discuss the point now, but simply state the fact.
It should be known that Legros, when he came
to England in 1863, was strongly impregnated with
the ideas of his master, Lecoq de Boisbaudran,
and^. thought ,of nothing but teaching. Moreover,
all this exceptional master's pupils shared this
same apostolic spirit, and felt it to be their vocation
to spread the glad tidings, and explain the
mysterious sense of design. It was with this
thought in mind that Cazin, in 1871, came to
London to join Legros.
Thus, on his arrival in London, Legros found
himself on almost virgin soil, which it delighted him
to clear and to cultivate. To this task he devoted
more than twenty years of his life, sacrificing his
own work, with its prospects of success and
Other more material1 advantages, to this labour.
Whether in painting or in etching (he restored
to his place of honour, next to Rembrandt, our
great Meryon, whose influence is to be seen in
every modern English plate), or in medal-work
(which he again brought in touch with Pisanello), or
in statuary (he made one feel and love and better
understand the divine genius of antiquity), Legros—
aided by his friend Lanteri, the modest and learned
sculptor—teaching at South Kensington, exercised
a profound and a real influence by means of his
solid, practical and methodical instruction, by force
of his own work, so sober, thoughtful, lofty, grave
and even austere, and by dint of studying and
admiring the great masters, and noting attentively
the grand principles by which they were inspired.
The teacher almost obscured the artist; but,
happily, from time to time there appeared one of
the admirable engravings referred to with such
precise competence by Mr. W. Shaw Sparrow, in
the January number of The Studio. But, in turn,
the etcher caused the painter to be forgotten ; and
therein lay yet another injustice. For with Legros
the painter was uppermost during a certain part of
his life. It was his painted works which first
brought him success, and in days to come they will
serve to place him in no ordinary rank amid that
hierarchy which is constituted by the appreciation
of posterity.
Truth to tell, the canvases painted by Legros are
not very many in number. If we include the
'the dead Christ" from the painting by alphonse legros
(In the Luxembourg 1
4