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Jacques-Émile Blanche prints bring the writers, dancers and society figures of Belle Époque Paris and Edwardian London into your home. Blanche was a largely self-taught French portrait painter and a close friend of Marcel Proust, who painted Henry James, James Joyce, Stravinsky, Colette and the stars of the Ballets Russes. Our collection of fine art prints includes his portraits, still lifes of flowers and his views of London.

About Jacques-Émile Blanche

Jacques-Émile Blanche was born in Paris on 1 January 1861, the son of a successful psychiatrist who ran a fashionable clinic in Montmartre. He grew up in the wealthy district of Passy, and his father's drawing room was visited by writers, musicians and artists such as Hector Berlioz and Camille Corot. He was educated at the Lycée Condorcet.

He took some lessons from Henri Gervex and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, but was largely self-taught. He spent much time in London from 1870, was a member of the New English Art Club, and exhibited in Paris at the Salon and the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. Marcel Proust was one of his closest friends and helped edit his writings, and he also knew Henry James.

From 1902 to 1911 he directed the Académie de La Palette in Paris and taught at the Académie Vitti. He married Rose Lemoinne, daughter of the editor of the Journal des Débats. He died at his home in Offranville, Normandy, on 30 September 1942, and is buried in Passy Cemetery.

Style and Subjects

Blanche's portraits are elegant and relaxed, painted with fluid, assured brushwork. His style draws on eighteenth-century English portraitists such as Thomas Gainsborough, and on Édouard Manet and John Singer Sargent.

His sitters are often caught informally, with a lively sense of character. He also painted lush flower still lifes, interiors, and views of London streets and squares in soft, misty colour.

Famous Works

• Portrait of Francis Poictevin (1887), Tate, London. A portrait of the French writer in his early, Manet-inspired manner.
• Flowers in a Vase (1890), Musée d'Orsay, Paris. A flower still life of the kind he painted throughout his life.
• Portrait of Marcel Proust (1892), Musée d'Orsay, Paris. His famous portrait of the young Proust.
• The Halévy Family (1903), Musée d'Orsay, Paris. A group portrait of a Parisian literary family.
• Henry James (1908), National Portrait Gallery, London. The American novelist in a commanding late portrait.
• Tamara Karsavina (about 1910). The Ballets Russes ballerina as Stravinsky's Firebird.
• Igor Stravinsky (1915), Musée d'Orsay, Paris. A portrait of the young composer.

Decorating with Blanche Prints

Blanche's portraits of writers and artists suit studies, libraries and living rooms, especially for book and music lovers. A portrait such as James Joyce or Henry James looks distinguished in a dark frame near a bookshelf.

His flower still lifes, such as Dahlias et capucines à l'urne d'argent, brighten a dining room or kitchen, and his London street views suit a hallway or city apartment.

FAQ

Who was Jacques-Émile Blanche?

Jacques-Émile Blanche was a French portrait painter who lived from 1861 to 1942. Largely self-taught, he worked in Paris and London and painted many famous writers, artists and performers.

Did Blanche paint Marcel Proust?

Yes. His portrait of the young Marcel Proust (1892) is in the Musée d'Orsay. Proust was one of his closest friends and helped edit his writings.

Who did Jacques-Émile Blanche paint?

His sitters included Marcel Proust, Henry James, James Joyce, Aubrey Beardsley, Thomas Hardy, Claude Debussy, Auguste Rodin, Colette, Igor Stravinsky and the dancer Tamara Karsavina.

Who influenced Blanche's style?

His portraits draw on Thomas Gainsborough and other eighteenth-century English painters, as well as Édouard Manet and John Singer Sargent.

Where can I see Blanche's paintings?

The Musée d'Orsay in Paris has many of his works. Others are in Tate and the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Strasbourg Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Related Artists

• Henri Gervex: painter who gave him early lessons
• Pierre-Auguste Renoir: Impressionist who taught him briefly
• John Singer Sargent: portraitist whose style influenced his
• Walter Richard Sickert: fellow member of the New English Art Club in London
• Giovanni Boldini: society portraitist of the same Paris world