Alexandre Antigna (1817 - 1878)

Born in Orléans, he was admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris in 1839, where he studied for one year with Sébastien Norblin and seven years with Paul Delaroche. Alexandre Antigna is above all a painter of the humble, as evidenced by his most famous works. Quickly classified as a realist and likened to Gustave Courbet, Antigna nevertheless distinguished himself from the master of Ornans by the poetry and religion with which he imbued his subjects. From 1860 onwards, he became more serene, notably in portraits of Aragonese women, seascapes and numerous Breton scenes. His subjects also deal with the discrimination between city dwellers and poor villagers in the 19th century. His work is well represented in museums in Orléans, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Dinan and Chartres.