Alexandre Cabanel and Albaydé

'Albaydé' (1848) by Alexandre Cabanel; Musée Fabre, Montpellier

The choice for French painter Alexandre Cabanel, born on 28 September 1823, was quickly made but to select one painting for today took a bit longer. There are many paintings that I like. I have to tell you that I had never heard of Cabanel but he was apparently a major artist. He painted portraits and historical subjects in the academic tradition and was together with William Adolphe Bouguereau one of the most succesful and influential academic painters of his time. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and made his debut at the Paris Salon in 1844. He won the Prix de Rome scholarship the following year which enabled him to go to Rome. His painting The Birth of Venus (1863) is one of the most well-known 19th century paintings and his best-known work. It was exhibited at the Salon in 1863 and bought by Napoleon III for his private collection. Cabanel was an opponent of Impressionism and as a member of the Paris Salon, he didn't allow Édouard Manet and many other painters to exhibit their work at the Salon in 1863. This led to the establishment of the Salon des Refusés. Today's painting is the last in a series of three paintings that Cabanel made for his chief patron Alfred Bruyas. 'Albaydé' was inspired by Victor Hugo's poem 'Fragments of a Serpent'. I think it's a beautuful painting and I cannot really tell you why I chose this one over his other paintings other than that the woman's face is captivating. I found a very long article on Cabanel so if you are interested in his life and work, then you should definitely click here.

Daniel Ridgway Knight and the Shepherdess of Rolleboise

'The Shepherdess of Rolleboise' (c.1896) by Daniel Ridgway Knight; Brooklyn Museum, New York

Finding today's painter was easy. Choosing a painting was more difficult because there are so many that I like. The painter's name is Daniel Ridgway Knight, born on March 15, 1839, and died on March 9, 1924, and I had never heard of him before. But as soon as I found him to be a match for today's date, I didn't look further for another painter. Knight was an American artist who depicted peasant women outdoors in the field, amidst flowers, or doing the day's chores. If you google his name and images, you see women in similar outdoor settings, some paintings more colourful than others. Knight studied in Paris and was highly influenced by Jean-François Millet but he chose to portray his peasant women at happier moments as opposed to Millet. His paintings of peasant women were very popular and he received several prizes for his work, among others the Third Class Medal for Hailing the Ferry at the Paris Salon in 1888. His paintings are realistic and rich in detail. I love the earthy colour palette of this painting and the girl's coat. For further reading, click here.

Ernest-Ange Duez and The Rebuff

'The Rebuff' (1874) by Ernest-Ange Duez; Private Collection?

Today's painter Ernest-Ange Duez, born on March 8, 1843, is unknown to me. Wikipedia only has a French page on him so it might say something about his fame. French Wiki gives 7 March as his date of birth but other sites give 8 March. He was trained at the Parisian ateliers of Isodore Pils and Carolus-Duran. He made his debut at the Paris Salon in 1868. His painting The Honeymoon (1873) caused a scandal at the Salon because of the depiction of two lovers in modern dress strolling through the forest. He painted both portraits and landscapes. I like this painting posted here, because it makes you want to know the reason behind the rebuff and the blue colour of the dress is beautiful. But unfortunately I couldn't find any additional information on the painting. It was hard to find its location. Apparently it's been put up for auction at some point and it might be in private hands.

Edit 17.09.2025: I'm doing a blog maintenance. Though I have matched today's painter with 8 March, most reliable sources say he was born on 7 March 1843. In this post I linked to the French Wikipedia page of the artist; probably there wasn't an English page at the time. Now there is — here. So there are secundary sources where the date of birth is given as the 8th. I just leave it as it is, though I don't understand why I didn't rely on his French Wiki page for his date of birth in the first place.

Gustave Caillebotte and The Floor Scrapers

'The Floor Scrapers' (1875) by Gustave Caillebotte; Musée d'Orsay, Paris

I know the French painter Gustave Caillebotte, born on 19 August 1848 and died on 21 February 1894, mainly from his wonderful painting 'The Floor Scrapers', shown here. Actually, I had thought for a long time that it had been painted by Gustave Courbet but it could be that it was just a confusion about their names that sound alike. Whereas Courbet was a Realist painter, Caillebotte belonged to the group of Impressionists. He distinguished himself by painting in a more realistic manner than his fellow Impressionists. Early on he was also interested in photography as an art form. He made his debut at the second Impressionist exhibition of 1876 at the Paris Salon and showed eight paintings including 'The Floor Scrapers'. It was then already recognised as a masterpiece. At the Paris exhibition a year earlier, the painting had been rejected because critics thought it to be 'vulgar'. They found only portrayals of farmers and peasants acceptable. I love this painting because it is so powerful. But Caillebotte has painted so much more that is truly beautiful. He made everyday life in Paris a recurrent subject of his paintings. The use of light in these paintings is unmistakable, even when the subject matter is a rainy day. To cheat once more, click here.

Mihály Munkácsy and Lady Seated at Her Needlework

'Lady Seated at Her Needlework' (unknown date) by Mihály Munkácsy; Private Collection

I had never heard of the Hungarian painter Mihály Munkácsy, born on February 20, 1844, and I know I'm not alone in that respect but I'm glad I can use him for the post today. Apparently he was not a minor painter. He gained international acclaim with his painting 'The last day of a condemned man' (1869-72) that won him the Gold Medal at the Paris Salon in 1870. While choosing a painting for today, I found many that I liked but also found that his paintings were so different in theme and colour. Then I read in his biography that at the beginning of his career his paintings were of a realistíc nature, mainly scenes from the daily lives of peasants. After he had been to Paris, he was influenced by the modern French painters and their lighter colour schemes. He turned to colourful salon paintings and still lifes. Although 'Lady seated at her needlework' is of an unknown date, this was probably one of these salon paintings judging by the lighter colours and lighter theme. I find this painting a sweet depiction of homely life, although it's not clear to me what kind of relationship the young woman and man have. 

Charles-François Daubigny and The Harvest

'The Harvest' (1851) by Charles-François Daubigny; Musée d'Orsay, Paris

I really do like landscape paintings and appreciate them more and more. Charles-François Daubigny, born on 15 February 1817 and died on 19 February 1878, was a French landscape painter. Together with Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, Jean-François Millet and Théodore Rousseau, he was a leading member of the Barbizon School. It wasn't until 1852 that his work got recognised when his painting 'The Harvest' won the Gold Medal at the Salon in Paris. It became his first great success. After 1856, Daubigny traveled with his boat 'Le Botin' ('Little Box') along the Seine and Oise on several occasions and painted a great number of riverside pictures. I quite like this image, a painter crafting art on a boat that became his studio. I've decided to post 'The Harvest' here because I absolutely love the great bright colours. But I didn't want to keep from you one rather curious detail concerning his riverside paintings: it's been said that if Daubigny liked his painting himself he added another duck or two to the canvas. So look out for the ducks! Here's one.

Édouard Manet and The Girl in a Bar at the Folies-Bergère

'A Bar at the Folies-Bergère' (1882) by Édouard Manet; Courtauld Institute of Art, London

This is one of the greatest paintings by Édouard Manet, born on 23 January 1832. It was his last major work and was on exhibition at the Paris Salon in 1882. I have always liked this painting. A girl standing behind the bar, looking unhappy and detached in the midst of a room crowded with people having a good time. Her desolateness is in sharp contrast with the cheerfulness of the rest of the crowd. The images in the mirror are not being reflected correctly which makes the painting apart from beautiful also interesting. Since the Folies-Bergère was a middle-class brothel in Manet's days, it is very possible that the barmaid isn't who she appears to be. Numerous extensive studies have been made of this painting so if you are interested, read more on the net.