Dupre, Jules (1811 - 1889)

Born in 1811, Jules Dupré was the son of a painter who was later named director of the porcelain factory of Parmain, near l'Isle-Adam. At a very young age, Dupré learned the art of ceramics from his father, thus receiving the same training as Diaz (q.v.), Daubigny (q.v.), Constant Troyon (1810-1865), and, later on, Renoir (q.v.). In 1929 he moved to Paris where he associated with artists such as Bonington (q.v.) and Delacroix (q.v.). Dupré was one of the first French landscape painters to travel to England, and his 1831 trip there proved to have a decisive influence on his conception of landscape. Fascinated by atmospheric conditions, sky and light soon began to dominate his art. Despite the fact that he worked from nature, his work maintained a certain "romantic" distance from what was observed, since he emphasized the lyrical expression of emotion. The three works the artist presented at the Salon of 1831 went unnoticed by art critics but they nevertheless brought him the protection of the Baron d'Ivry, the same man who had earlier taken an interest in the work of Michel (q.v.) and helped him financially over the years. Dupré then traveled to the Berry, the Creuse, and the Limousin, accompanied by his brother and student Léon-Victor (1816-1879). Around 1833 the young painter met Decamps (q.v.), Eugène Louis Lami (1800-1890), and Troyon. He also became very close to Théodore Rousseau (q.v.). The two spent a lot of time together, traveling south and painting side by side at Montsoult, on the edge of the forest of l'Isle-Adam. In the 1840s Dupré no longer exhibited at the Salon, probably unhappy with the jury system, and out of solidarity with his fellow artists who often were turned down. In 1847 he sided with painters such as Decamps, Delacroix, Jacque (q.v.), and Scheffer (q.v.) for the organization of an independent Salon; he nonetheless received the Legion of Honor in 1849. Even though they had gone their separate ways that year, Dupré continued to admire Rousseau, whom he considered to be the greatest painter of his time. Beginning in 1865 Dupré often went to Cayeux-sur-Mer, where he painted many seascapes. He returned to the Salon when he exhibited at the Exposition Universelle of 1867, where twelve of his works were shown. In 1852 Dupré retired to l'Isle-Adam, where his father was born, but continued to visit Paris in the winter months from 1876 through 1882.