Georges Rochegrosse

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Georges Antoine Rochegrosse (2 August 1859 – 11 July 1938) was a French painter known for large, dramatic historical and decorative scenes. Born in Versailles, he studied in Paris with Jules Lefebvre and Gustave Boulanger. His work is characterized by an emotional, naturalistic style and a taste for vivid, often brutal subjects, painted on a grand scale. He made his Paris Salon debut in 1882 with Vitellius Dragged through the Streets of Rome by the People, and in 1883 Andromaque won the Prix du Salon. Other notable works include La Jacquerie (1885), La mort de Babylone (1891), The Death of Emperor Geta (1899), and Barbarian Ambassadors at the Court of Justinian (1907). In a different tone, Le Chevalier aux Fleurs (The Knight of Flowers, 1894) is a colorful piece now at the Musée d’Orsay. Rochegrosse was named an Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1892 and received the Medal of Honour in 1906 for The Red Delight. He also illustrated books and worked as a poster artist. His wife Marie Leblond died in 1920. He spent his final years in El Biar, Algeria, and died there in 1938. He is buried in Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris near his stepfather, the poet Théodore de Banville.