Jean Béraud

1849 – 1935

French painter, born in St. Petersburg of French parents. His father (also called Jean) was a sculptor and was likely working on the site of St. Isaac's Cathedral at the time of his son's birth. Until the occupation of Paris during the Franco-Prussian war in 1870. he studied law in Paris. He then studied art at Léon Bonnat 's studio for two years. He exhibited for the first time at the Salon in 1873. He was friendly with Manet and he loosely followed the Impressionist style from roughly 1875 to 1900. He looked up to both Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas . He focused on facets of daily life along the Parisian boulevards, imagery that found a wide audience at the time. His paintings did not rely simply on the fashionable bourgeois, but also depicted everyday mundane activities; children leaving school, a man leaving his apartment, men and women struggling against the wind - every contemporary theme was now available to him. To capture the essence of this activity, Béraud established his studio in a cab, therefore allowing him to watch unsuspecting passers-by, while also maintaining a regular stationary studio in Montmartre. In the 1890s he turned to religious themes in a more realistic style which led to controversial discussions at the Salon because of his practice of depicting biblical scenes in contemporary dress. He was awarded a gold medal at the 1889 Paris International Exhibition. His greatest achievement was his award of the prestigious Légion d'honneur in 1894. Béraud's focus towards the end of his career moved away from his own art and towards participation in the numerous exhibition committees he belonged to, including the Salon de la Société Nationale.

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