Jules Lefebvre

Who he was

The "Lefebvre" (often written Lefèbvre or Lefèvre) whom Marie meets in the Académie Julian years is Jules Joseph Lefebvre (14 March 1834, Tournan-en-Brie -- 24 February 1912, Paris), the academic painter of the female nude and of portraits. The identification is certain: Marie names him next to Robert-Fleury and Boulanger as one of the three masters who judge Julian's competitions, and Julian reports Lefebvre's verdicts on her Salon picture. Dates: the Deutsche Biographie (GND authority record) and Marbach give 1834--1912 (Deutsche Biographie); an earlier version of this page gave 1836--1911, a date pair found in the infoboxes of some Wikipedia versions but contradicted by their own text (Wikipedia fr, "Jules Lefebvre").

He studied at the École des beaux-arts under Léon Cogniet, won the Prix de Rome in 1861 (La Mort de Priam) and exhibited La Vérité (1870, Musée d'Orsay) and, in 1878, the picture that brought him a first-class medal. He was made chevalier of the Légion d'honneur in 1870 and officer in 1878, taught at the Académie Julian and the École des beaux-arts, and was elected to the Académie des beaux-arts only in 1891, so in Marie's years he was not yet a member of the Institut. His pupils included Childe Hassam, Edmund Tarbell and Frank Benson (Wikipedia fr).

Marie and Lefebvre

1877--1881: the master of the contests

In the first weeks of Marie's study at Julian's, on 24 November 1877, the women's atelier awaits the judging of its competition by "MM. Robert-Fleury, Lefebvre et Boulanger" (076.0205); three days later Julian climbs to them "un peu démonté après le jugement de MM. Fleury, Boulanger et Lefèbvre" (076.0245). On 4 April 1878 Julian asks "Lefebvre (celui qui a été du 1er pour le jury du salon)" why the women were ranked as they were (079.0216). In October 1878 she writes that Robert-Fleury "rivalise avec Lefebvre et Boulanger" for the best pupils (082.0572) and complains that Lefebvre "a mauvais goût et n'aime que les dessins copiés bêtement sur nature" (082.0633). On 14 January 1879 the three masters judge the contest together; Robert-Fleury says to Lefebvre of Marie: "nous avions là-haut une gaillarde" (084.0017, 084.0023). In May 1879 she criticises the way "Lefèbvre" gives all his women the same toes (085.0072); in July 1880 Julian runs to Lefebvre or Doucet after Doucet's Prix de Rome (089.0177). In November 1880 she is proud that a head she painted was found good by "Bouguereau, Lefèvre, Tony et Boulanger" (090.0276), and on 15 January 1881 she says that if Tony were killed she would take "Lefèbvre, Bonnat ou même Cabanel" (090.0596).

In March--April 1881 her first Salon picture awaits the jury: on 29 March Julian cannot yet see Lefebvre (091.0390), on 31 March Lefebvre "croit se souvenir que le tableau est reçu" (091.0400) and on 1 April Julian brings the news after midnight from Lefebvre's house (091.0405). On 6 May 1881 at the Salon Julian introduces her to him and Lefebvre says that there are "de grandes qualités" in her picture: "Je suis très petite fille" (091.0566).

1882--1884: lobbying and the studio visit

On 3 May 1882 she imagines herself, in a white woollen robe with harmonious folds, "une figure de Lefèvre qui sait si bien dessiner ces corps souples et jeunes dans de pudiques draperies" (095.0017). In May 1883 Julian sends urgent telegrams "à Cot, Lefèvre et Tony" on her behalf (099.0568), and in August 1883 she writes to Cabanel and to him about a picture, too late (101.0159). On 22 December 1883 she dreams of Julian telling Tony or Lefebvre that he has seen her work and thinks highly of it (102.0530). On 30 December 1883 the maréchale and Claire Canrobert dine with Princess Mathilde, where Lefebvre tells Claire that Marie's talent is "très réel", that she goes out every evening and that she is looked after by "des peintres illustres"; Marie remarks that "ce sacré Jules ne m'aide en rien" (102.0619--0624).

On 12 January 1884 she goes with Claire and the maréchale to the studios of Lefebvre and Tony. Her revised opinion of Lefebvre is the fullest in the diary: "je dois avouer que je ne rendais pas assez justice à son talent"; she has seen "des choses d'une forme idéale"; she prefers his line to Ingres's, "personne ne fait le nu comme lui"; his portraits are admirable though lacking "d'au-delà". She adds that he looks "d'un gros coiffeur", has a charming wife and pretty children and "dessine aussi bien que Bastien-Lepage"; at first he took her for her cousin, and he promised to visit her studio the next Sunday (102.0672--0680). In January 1884 she contrasts the success of the Phèdre and Aurore of "Cabanel, Bouguereau, Lefèbvre et compagnie" with the neglect of true painters (103.0046). On 26 May 1884, in a draft letter, she names "Bouguereau, Boulanger, Lefèvre, etc." as the men who canvassed votes for Dinet and Maurin in the Salon medals, and says that this is why Lefebvre told Princess Mathilde that the young are sheltered "rue Ampère" and that Bastien-Lepage protects her (104.0351--0353).

The Nice "Lefevre" (1873) and other homonyms

The paragraph 004.0276 (3 May 1873: a dinner with the Anitchkoffs, "Lefevre" and Patton) is tagged to this entry but concerns an unrelated Nice acquaintance, the "vieux Lefevre" of Mme de Mouzay's circle, who has his own entry (#Lefevre). The telegrams of "Lefèbvre" after a false report of a young man's death in January 1878 (077.0181) cannot be Jules Lefebvre with certainty and may belong to the same Nice Lefevre.

Related entries

Sources