Academie Julian
Paris Art School Founded by Rodolphe
Julian.
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Academie Julian |
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Academie Julian (Est. 1868)Contents • What is the Academie
Julian? |
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ART APPRECIATION |
In fine art, the Academie Julian was a progressive art school in Paris, founded in 1868 by Rodolphe Julian (1839-1907), a painter and art administrator. (The French word "Academie" means private art school.) Established in the Passage des Panoramas, it was christened "Academie Julian" in 1873, and rapidly became one of the best art schools of its type. By the 1880s its student body numbered about 600. As the reputation of the school rose, another four branches were opened at No. 28 Boulevard St-Jacques (6th arrondissement), No. 5 Rue de Berri (8th arr), No. 31 Rue du Dragon (6th arr), and No. 51, rue Vivienne (2nd arr). The golden era of the school, when it attracted the most talented students and teachers, was the period 1875-1915. Many graduates from this time went on to become some of the greatest modern artists of the late-19th and early-20th century. Much later, in 1953, the Academie Julian was merged with another Paris school - an art studio founded by the ceramicist Guillaume Met de Penninghen (1912-90) that prepared pupils for entry to the Superior schools of Art, the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs, and the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Appliques et des Metiers d'Art - to form the Ecole Superieure d'Arts Graphiques (commonly ESAG Penninghen). |
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Why Was the Academie Julian So Popular? First, throughout the Academie Julian's golden era (1875-1915), Paris was the capital of the art world, and the epicentre of modern art: the place to which all self-respecting artists gravitated to learn about the latest developments in painting (such as Impressionism and Post Impressionism), decorative art of various types, new forms of representational art (expressionism), lithography (poster art) and much more. As a progressive art college in Paris, the Academie Julian benefited enormously from the reputation of its host city. Second, in the eyes of most serious French students, the Academie Julian was regarded as a stepping stone to the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts, the leading educational institution of academic art in the country. The Academie prepared students for the entry exams to the Ecole where several of its staff also taught. In addition, Academie students were granted the right to compete for the prestigious Prix de Rome, an annual scholarship awarded to promising young painters, sculptors or printmakers, which enabled them to study art for 3-5 years in Rome. (See also: Best Art Schools in Rome.) The Academie Julian also held its own art competitions, and its students were also encouraged to submit works to the Paris Salon. Thirdly, unlike the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, the Academie Julian had no entrance requirements, and was open from 0800 hours to 1800 hours or later. Also, in contrast to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts which (until 1897) refused entry to female art students, the Academie was happy to offer them a full program of education and training in fine art. Women were offered the same classes as men, including the drawing of nude models. In fact, the Academie was one of the few schools to admit women to life-drawing classes. (One of its four new branches was actually exclusively designed for female art students.) Fourthly, the Academie Julian was especially popular with foreign art students, particularly Americans. This was because while entry to the Academie was free of all restrictions, entry to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts was made extremely difficult for foreigners, who from 1884 were obliged to sit a particularly severe examination in French. Fifthly, the Academie offered a progressive, liberal training, unlike the conservative teaching regime at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. As a result, young artists (including all the major Impressionist painters) often preferred private art schools, like Academie Julian. Lastly, a great deal of the success of the Academie Julian was due to the quality of its teaching staff, whose members included famous painters like: Adolphe William Bouguereau (1825-1905), Gustave Boulanger (1824-88), Edgar Chahine (1874-1947), Jean J. Benjamin Constant (1845-1902), Gabriel Ferrier (1847-1914), Jean Paul Laurens (1838-1921), Jules Lefebvre (1836-1911), Tony Robert-Fleury (1837-1912), and Henri Royer (1869-1938). Who Were the Most Famous Academie Julian Students? The heyday of the school coincided with the Post-Impressionism movement, thus many of the most celebrated graduates were Post-Impressionist painters, notably the members of Les Nabis, who became famous for their decorative art. The school was especially popular with Americans, and several exponents of American Impressionism studied at the Julian, along with various artists who are best known for their fine art photography. Several important Irish artists also enrolled, as did a number of Expressionist painters from Germany as well as France. The Academie was also popular within the avant-garde art scene in Paris, and attracted many members of the Ecole de Paris, including the Czech poster artist Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939) and the French painter-turned-photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004). Here is a short list of some of the best known artists who studied at the Academie: American Impressionist Painters Irish Painters Expressionists American Artists Post Impressionists Ecole de Paris Sculptors Ecole des Beaux-Arts Charles Gleyre's School Academie Colarossi Lhote Academy Ecole Parsons Further Educational Resources • For courses in London, see: Best
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