Plan your visit to see Charles Gleyre →

• What is Charles Gleyre known for?+

  Charles Gleyre is known for his allegorical and contemplative paintings, meticulous in their execution. His 1843^[1] painting "Lost Illusions" (also known as "Evening") made his reputation at the Salon.
• What should I know about Charles Gleyre's prints?+

  Charles Gleyre (1806^[1]-1874^[1]) was a Swiss artist who taught painting in Paris. Though he is not primarily known as a printmaker, prints were made after some of his paintings. These reproductions helped to circulate his compositions to a wider audience. Gleyre took over the studio of the recently deceased Paul Delaroche in 1843^[1]. He taught many important later artists, including Monet, Renoir, Sisley, and Whistler. His teaching method was relatively hands-off; he let students develop their own styles, only intervening when he felt it necessary. Gleyre closed his studio in 1864, due to lack of interest and eyesight problems. He explained his decision by saying that 'one must not survive oneself'. His own paintings often featured classical or historical subjects, treated in a precise academic style. 'Evening' (also known as 'Lost Illusions') was one of his most successful paintings; it exists in several versions. Gleyre's work was well regarded in its time, but later lost favour as Impressionism and other modern movements gained prominence.
• What style or movement did Charles Gleyre belong to?+

  Charles Gleyre (1806^[1]-1874^[1]) was a Swiss painter who worked in France. He is associated with Neoclassicism, and his artistic interests also connected him to the Orientalist movement. He aimed to aestheticise the past and bring it to life in painting. Like Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Gleyre continued to paint in his Neoclassical style well into the second half of the 19th century. His 1853^[1] painting *The Romans Put Under the Yoke* may be his most important history painting. Gleyre studied at the Ecole de Pierre in Lyons and in Paris under Louis Hersent. He also practised watercolour painting with Richard Parkes Bonington. Gleyre had contact with German painters in Rome and, in Paris, with the composer Hector Berlioz and fellow Swiss artist Léopold Robert. In 1834, he travelled to the Orient but fell seriously ill. He returned to Paris in 1838. Gleyre's *Egyptian Temple* (1840) shows a detailed, realistic depiction of Egyptian ruins.
• What techniques or materials did Charles Gleyre use?+

  Charles Gleyre's students began by drawing from plaster casts of sculptures, learning to represent form through monochrome tonal gradations. This instilled an idealised vision of nature and a conventional drawing style. Only after mastering drawing were students permitted to use colour. Gleyre taught students the materials and tools of painting. They copied painted heads, often Venetian or Flemish examples from the Louvre, to learn lively handling and colour. Students then progressed to painting live heads and nude models. The initial stage involved a thinly painted "ebauche", establishing lines, masses, and halftones. This base layer had to be "leaner" (less oily) than subsequent layers, adhering to the "fat over lean" rule to prevent cracking. Students prepared palettes using mainly earth colours, Prussian blue, black, and lead white. As the 19th century advanced, less stable tarry colours like bitumen became popular, which damaged many paintings. Contours were drawn onto the primed canvas with light charcoal lines, then reworked with a dilute red-brown mixture (the "sauce") using a sable-hair brush. Backgrounds were roughed in early to counter the brilliance of the priming colour. Detail was avoided initially, focusing on light and shade.
• What was Charles Gleyre known for?+

  Charles Gleyre (1806^[1]-1874^[1]) was a Swiss artist who spent most of his career in France. He is best known as a teacher; his studio produced a generation of important Impressionist painters. Born in Chevilly, Switzerland, Gleyre went to Lyon as an apprentice. He later studied in Paris at the École des Beaux-Arts. In the 1830s, he travelled extensively in Italy, Greece, Egypt, and the Near East. Upon his return to France, he took over the studio of Paul Delaroche in 1843^[1]. Gleyre taught many now-famous artists, including Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and James Abbott McNeill Whistler. He encouraged his students to observe nature and develop their own individual styles. This approach was different from the academic style of the time, which emphasised historical or mythological subjects and precise drawing. Although Gleyre’s own paintings are not as well known as those of his students, he had some success at the Salon. His painting *Evening* (also known as *Lost Illusions*) of 1843 is one of his more recognised works; it is an allegorical painting that depicts a seated poet overlooking a river. He retired from teaching in 1864 and died in Paris a decade later.
• When did Charles Gleyre live and work?+

  Charles Gleyre was Swiss, born on the shore of Lake Lean. He spent his working life in France, and was considered an embodiment of the classical school of art. Gleyre trained at the School of Fine Arts, and spent six years in Italy. He later taught in Paris, in the studio organised by Hippolyte Delaroche. Gleyre's own paintings, often very large, took their subjects from holy scripture and ancient mythology. His treatment of female nudes was comparable to that of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Although Gleyre advocated a return to antiquity, he is known for his association with Impressionist painters. Camille Pissarro briefly studied with Lehmann before joining Gleyre. Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and Frédéric Bazille all met in Gleyre's studio. Gleyre did not charge his pupils for instruction, but asked for contributions toward rent and models' fees. He reminded his students that painting was a decadent art, even as they wanted to paint in the countryside.
• Where can I see Charles Gleyre's work?+

  Charles Gleyre's paintings are held in several public collections. These include museums in Switzerland, France, and further afield. In Gleyre's home country of Switzerland, his works can be viewed at the Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts in Lausanne. Another collection is held at the Kunstmuseum Basel. France, where Gleyre spent much of his career, also has significant holdings. The Musée d'Orsay in Paris includes paintings such as "Evening (Lost Illusions)" in its collection. The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nantes holds "The Departure of the Swiss for the Defence of the Fatherland". Outside Europe, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York owns Gleyre's "Sappho". These collections provide opportunities to study the scope of Gleyre's artistic output, from history paintings to allegorical subjects. Examination of his works reveals his academic training and later stylistic developments.
• Where was Charles Gleyre from?+

  Albert Gleizes was born in Paris on 8 December 1881. His father, Sylvan Gleizes, was a fabric designer. His maternal uncle, Leon Commerre, was a painter who won the Prix de Rome in 1875. Another uncle, Robert Gleizes, was a dealer specialising in eighteenth-century paintings. The family name, Gleizes, has Languedoc origins, a version of 'eglise' (church) in Provençal. The Gleizes family lived in Courbevoie, then a rural area, in a villa with a large garden and a separate studio for Albert. He had two sisters, Suzanne and Mireille, and an elder brother who died. Gleizes was meant to receive a standard education, but he secretly attended comedy classes. His father put him to work in his design shop, where he found the precision valuable for his artistic training. The designs produced were inspired by the eighteenth century and art nouveau. Before he turned twenty, Gleizes was called for military service.
• Who did Charles Gleyre influence?+

  Charles Gleyre taught at his own studio, and later at the École des Beaux-Arts, from 1843^[1] to 1864. He is remembered as a generous teacher who accepted students without regard to their financial circumstances. His pupils included a number of artists who became important figures. Among the best-known are Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and James Abbott McNeill Whistler. Others include Jean-Léon Gérôme, Auguste Toulmouche, and Louis-Frederic Schützenberger. Gleyre’s approach was relatively hands-off. He allowed students to develop their own styles and interests, rather than imposing a single academic method. This may have prepared them to pursue diverse paths. Monet, Renoir, and Sisley became central to Impressionism, while Whistler pursued a more independent course. Gérôme and Toulmouche became successful Salon painters, working in a more academic style. The diversity of his students’ later work demonstrates the breadth of Gleyre's influence as an instructor.
• Who influenced Charles Gleyre?+

  Charles Gleyre, a Swiss artist who spent much of his life in France, was seen as embodying the classical school of art. He trained at the School of Fine Arts and spent six years in Italy. Gleyre instructed his students to consider antiquity when executing a figure. He found realism repellent, preferring idealisation. He told his students that nature was useful as part of a study, but lacked interest in itself, and that style was most important. He also considered painting landscapes a decadent art form. Despite these views, Gleyre's studio provided students with freedom. His program included studying antique sculpture and the paintings of Raphael and Ingres at the Louvre. Students acquired knowledge of painting technique, classical composition, precision in drawing, and paint handling. Monet, Bazille, Renoir, and Sisley attended his studio, where they met each other. Gleyre did not charge his pupils, instead asking for contributions to rent and models' fees.
• Who was Charles Gleyre?+

  Charles Gleyre was a Swiss artist who spent much of his life in France. He was sixty years old when he met the future Impressionists, and to them, he represented the classical school of art. Gleyre trained at the School of Fine Arts, and he also spent six years in Italy. He taught at a studio organised by Hippolyte Delaroche, who was known for his pieces based on religious and mythological themes. Gleyre's paintings often featured themes from ancient mythology and the Holy Scriptures, constructed with classical clarity. His modelling of female nudes has been compared to the work of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Although Gleyre achieved success at the Paris Salon, some accounts suggest he was not an inspiring teacher. One description paints him as dull and unintelligent. He insisted on idealisation in art, disliking realism and urging students to always think of antiquity when executing a figure. Despite his traditional views, his studio was where Monet, Bazille, Renoir, and Sisley met. He also introduced them to Pissarro.
• Why are Charles Gleyre's works important today?+

  Charles Gleyre, a Swiss painter who spent much of his life in France, is significant for his connection to early Impressionism. Although he was sixty years old when he met the future Impressionists, and represented what they saw as the classical school, his studio provided a space for artistic exchange. Monet, Renoir, Bazille, and Sisley all met in Gleyre's studio. He also introduced them to Pissarro. While Gleyre advocated for idealisation and antiquity in art, some of his students, like Monet, resisted his teachings. Gleyre did not charge his pupils for instruction, asking only for contributions to rent and models' fees. Gleyre aimed to aestheticise the past in his paintings. He studied in Lyons and Paris, and he also spent time in Italy, where he encountered German painters. His painting *Evening*, later subtitled *Lost Illusions*, achieved success in 1843^[1]. Another important history painting is *The Romans Put Under the Yoke* (1853). Despite a difficult life, Gleyre's work deserves acknowledgement.