Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres Biography and Artwork

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, a French Neoclassical painter, was born in 1780 in Montauban. At age twelve, he enrolled at the Academy of Toulouse under Joseph Roques, a friend of Jacques-Louis David. Ingres showed early artistic talent and believed that drawing was the “probity of art.”

Ingres became recognized as the principal proponent of French Neoclassical painting after David’s passing. He aimed to maintain academic orthodoxy against the Romantic style but later incorporated elements from it in his work. However, he remained true to his classicist roots and is best known for his high-quality portrait paintings.

Ingres married Madeleine Chapelle, a milliner, in 1813. He came from a relatively poor family and received his first lessons in art and music from his father, Joseph Ingres. Throughout his career as an artist, Ingres stayed connected to past artistic traditions while also innovating with new techniques and mediums.

Overall, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres was an influential Neoclassical painter who maintained academic orthodoxy while incorporating elements of Romanticism into some of his later works. His lasting contributions are evident today through many significant pieces he created throughout his life as well as the artists he has influenced.

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