James Tissot
James Tissot, the anglicized version of Jacques Tissot, was a French artist who lived from 1836 to 1902. He is most known for his fashionable portraits of women in high society that were extremely popular during his day with critics and the public alike. His work falls somewhere in between realism and impressionism.
Tissot was born in France to a middle class and devout Catholic family. His father was a drapery merchant, and his mother often designed hats. This upbringing is often credited with molding Tissot’s painting style in which he detailed women’s fashion. At age 20, after the blessing of his parents, Tissot moved to Paris to pursue art at the influential École des Beaux-Arts. In 1859, Tissot made his debut at the prestigious Paris Salon, where he exhibited five paintings. These works were done in his early style of depicting scenes in the Middle Ages. Soon after, his own style emerged, and his focus shifted to more contemporary scenes and portraits. This change was favored by the critics and public. Tissot became quite successful, also showing his work across the channel in London, England.
Tissot’s career was halted when he fought in the Franco-Prussian War. After the defeat of the French by the Germans, France was ruled for a brief period by the Paris Commune. The Commune was in power for only a few months before it was put down by the originally elected French government. Tissot was suspected of being a supporter of the Commune. After its fall, he fled to London in an effort to save his art career. Fortunately for him, his art career was about to flourish. While Tissot was in London, his career expanded greatly. His known style, the portraits depicting finely dressed women, became hugely popular with the populace and critics alike. He also contributed caricatures of women to Vanity Fair. In 1874, Tissot was invited to partake in the first Impressionist exhibition in France, but he declined, though not on bad terms.
Tissot met Kathleen Newton sometime between 1875 and 1876. She became his companion and muse until her premature death in 1882. After suffering from consumption, she took her own life. She was just 28 years old. After Newton’s death, Tissot moved back to Paris. In 1885, he held a large exhibition of his work at the Galerie Sedelmeyer.
While back in Paris, Tissot’s faith in Catholicism was strengthened. He spent the rest of his life painting mostly religious scenes. In the late 1880s, he traveled to the Middle East to make studies of the landscape and people. Afterwards, he exhibited a large and wildly successful show of 365 gouache pieces based on his travels in shows in Paris, London, and New York. The art was subsequently published in a book. James Tissot died in 1902 at just 65 years old.
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