Jean-Baptiste
Beuchot was born on April 4th, 1821 in Lyon, France to
Denis Beuchot and Marie Baudry. Following in his
father's footsteps, Beuchot was a man of many talents,
often referred to as a painter, an art restorer, a
draughtsman, and a decorator. He mostly worked in and
around Lyon in the Rhône-Alps region of France, just
northwest of Provence. In 1836, at the age of 15, he
began attending the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Lyon where
he studied until 1841. His work appeared in several
exhibitions at the Salon de Lyon, and in 1848 his
"Souvenir du Dauphiné" (Memory of Dauphiné,
probably referring to the region of France rather than a
future queen) was amongst the paintings of Lyon's
academic elite. In 1849, his "Coup de vent dans une
forêt aux environs de Roanne" (Sudden burst of
wind in a forest around Roanne) was on display, and
two more of his landscapes were on display in 1851:
"Vue prise aux bords de Saône, aux environs de
Lyon" (View taken at the edge of the Saône,
around Lyon) and "Souvenirs du Forez" (Memories
of Forez). While the Salon de Lyon seemed to prefer his
landscapes, Beuchot also produced many works of
mythological and religious subjects as well as genre
scenes. One such genre scene, "An Early Start,"
was displayed at a December 2000 auction at Sotheby's in
New York.
"An Early
Start" by Beuchot
In
1851 Beuchot took a young Alphonse Legros under his wing.
Legros, whose paintings now grace the walls of the Tate
Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum, spent six
months in Beuchot's studio. During this time he aided
Beuchot in painting the Chapel of Cardinal Bonald in the
Cathedral.
Chapelle
Notre Dame du Bon Secours, Châtillon d'Azergues
Between
1853 and 1856 Beuchot carried out the interior
decoration of the Chapelle Notre Dame du Bon Secours in
the Châtillon d'Azergues along with Claudius Lavergne
and Hippolyte Flandrin.
Ceiling detail
painted by Beuchot, Mural by Claudius Lavergne
surrounded by decorative patterns by Beuchot
Altar at Chapelle
Notre Dame du Bon Secours, ornate walls and domed
ceiling painted by Beuchot
Eglise
de la Charité, Lyon
Beuchot
did similar ornamental and decorative paintings for the
Eglise de la Charité in Lyon. The Church, built in
1624, served as a hospital, a soup kitchen, and an
orphanage. It was still functioning in 1934 when the
city of Lyon decided to tear the antiquated facility
down to make way for the new post office building. All
that remains of the church today is its bell tower.
l'Eglise de la
Charité in the early 1900's
In
1858 Beuchot did several decorative paintings for the
reception rooms in the south wing of the Hôtel de Ville
(Town Hall), and in 1860 he restored the
paintings of Thomas Blanchet that hung there.
Blanchet painting
that would have been restored by Beuchot
Le
Palais du Commerce, Lyon
In
1860 Beuchot was in charge of the ceiling decoration for
Lyon's Palais du Commerce. For this he created ten
immense canvases, including one in the Jacquard Room.
His
paintings titled "Le Conseil" (The Council)
and "La Force Prudente" (The Careful Force)
can be seen in the courtroom and the deliberation room
of the Commercial Court.
Palais du
Commerce in Lyon
The Jacquard Room
L'Eglise
Saint-Pierre, Macon
In
1868 Beuchot did two remarkable frescoes in the axial
vault of Eglise Saint-Pierre in the town of Macon, just
north of Lyon. These frescoes on the north and south
walls depict scenes related to the construction of the
church and its inauguration. On the north wall there is
a full-length portrait of the architect, George
Berthier. Behind Berthier stands a painter holding a
palette and brushes, and many consider this to be a
self-portrait of Beuchot.
The south fresco
depicting the inauguration of the church
The north fresco
depicting the construction of the church, with a
self-portrait of Beuchot on the far right
Beuchot's
self-portrait, Signed "Beuchot MDCCCLXVIII",
Facade of L'Eglise Saint-Pierre
L'Eglise
de la Madeleine, Paris
For
the Eglise de la Madeleine Beuchot painted a
"Madeleine à genoux devant la Croix" (Madeleine
kneeling before the Cross).
L'Eglise de la
Madeleine
Jean-Baptiste
Beuchot died in 1884, survived by his daughter, Marie
Augustine, and his son, Auguste Pierre. He left behind
many sketches and watercolors, mostly historical or
genre scenes. The Salon de Lyon showed his work once
more after his death, and in 1904 his "Femme en
costume Louis XV à sa toilette" and "le
Rendez-vous" were part of a retrospective. A
handful of his works have shown up in auctions over the
past century, often fetching impressive prices.
Beaux
Arts is proud to present the largest collection of
Beuchot's drawings and paintings ever available to the
public. The exhibit features more than 90 original
drawings, watercolors, and gouaches, each one
beautifully rendered and exquisitely detailed. Showing
off Beuchot's myriad of talents, the exhibit includes
beautiful landscapes and images of contemporary life, as
well as some remarkably ornate designs for l'Eglise St.
Pierre. The delicate genre scenes and decorative
embellishments evoke aristocratic elegance, making them
exemplars of the Rococo Revival style popular in the
mid-nineteeth century. Along with having the finest
selection of framing options, Beaux Arts is also the
leading resource for restoration of works on paper in
Dallas. This means that each unique piece is wonderfully
restored and sumptuously presented in hand-finished gilt
frames as only Beaux Arts can.
The link below will display a thumbnail page of the
drawings that will be part of the gallery opening.
Drawing
Album Images
