Pierre Auguste Cot

Pierre Auguste Cot

Pierre Auguste Cot was a French Academic artist who lived from 1837 to 1883. Cot was a rising star, representing the new generation of academic artists at a time when the art world was shifting away into more modern aesthetics, such as impressionism. His life was cut short, and we can only imagine what masterpieces he would have created.

Cot was born in Bédarieux in Southern France. He was raised in the countryside in this Mediterranean climate, surrounded by nature and agrarian lifeways. This idyllic setting would later inspire his art. Cot started his art education at the École des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse, studying the classical arts. In the 1850s, he moved to Paris and enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts there, studying under such well-known academic artists as Léon Cogniet, whose studio he worked in, William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Alexandre Cabanel. Their styles, particularly Bouguereau, heavily imprinted on Cot, whose art was known for its beauty, elegance, and idealized forms. Cot graduated from school in the early 1860s.

In 1863, at 26 years old, Cot made his debut at the annual exhibition of the Paris Salon. Thereafter, he became a regular exhibiter at their annual show. He was critically acclaimed, and the public loved his genre and allegorical paintings. In his work, he harkened to classical ideals, merged with his memories of his youth in the countryside of Southern France. His exposure at the Salon earned him many commissions from the Parisian upper-class society who wanted their portraits done in a more classical style, as opposed to the modern art movements occurring in Paris at the same time. In 1868, Cot married the Juliette Duret, the daughter of Francisque Joseph Duret, a French sculptor who was also a patron of Cot’s.

Impressionism and more modern art styles were becoming more prevalent in Paris while Cot was painting his idealized paintings. Cot remained loyal to his academic training, keeping on more classical subjects and refined idealized aesthetics. Cot’s most famous pieces are “Springtime” (1873) and “The Storm” (1880), images that are still iconic today.

In 1874, Cot was awarded the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, a prestigious honor. In the 1870s, Cot won several medals including the second-class medal at the 1878 Exposition Universelle in Paris. In the 1880s, Cot was selected to a seat on the jury of the Paris Salon. He was also hired as an art teacher at The Académie Julian. There, he taught artists that would go on to excel in the field, including two women artists, Anna Klumpke and Ellen Day Hale.

Pierre Auguste Cot died suddenly on August 2, 1883. He was just age 46 and was working on several commissions. His premature unexpected death shocked the art community. In 1891, the artistic community set up a subscription to pay for a commemorative monument to Cot which was erected at Bédarieux, his hometown.

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