1753 -1809 · Paris, Rome, Lyon and London

Portraits of emigrants, neoclassical gravity and ancient drama characterize Henri-Pierre Danloux, French painter between Revolution and British stay.

Henri-Pierre Danloux was born in Paris in 1753. He first trained with the genre painter Nicolas-Bernard Lépicié, then joined the studio of Joseph-Marie Vien, a major player in the return to Antiquity. This double apprenticeship brought him both attention to individual characters and the discipline of history painting. Danloux stayed in Rome, where he studied masters and archeology, then worked in Lyon and in the circle of the Étigny family. He married Antoinette de Saint-Redan, adopted daughter of the intendant Antoine Mégret d'Étigny, and painted many members of this family as well as the Thomases of Pange. His portraits seek less pomp than the moral presence of model. The Revolution shakes up this aristocratic network. In 1791, Danloux left France for London, where he remained until 1800. The British capital also offered him an important market among French emigrants and local elites. There he also discovered the tradition of Reynolds, Raeburn and Lawrence, whose freedom of installation and light softened his French training. Among his models are the Count of Artois and several exiled families. During this period, Danloux did not abandon history painting. The Torture of a Vestal Virgin, dated 1790 but presented at the Salon in 1802 after his return, shows a priestess punished for having broken her vow of chastity. Architecture, procession and gesture of the condemned organize an ancient drama where the collective rule crushes the individual. The subject can also resonate with the contemporary experience of condemnation and exile. Returning to Paris in 1800, Danloux exhibited and continued the portraits until his death in 1809. His work thus connects three worlds: sensitivity of private portraiture, neoclassical rigor and British culture of effigy. His work thus connects three worlds: sensitivity of private portraiture, neoclassical rigor and British culture of effigy. His work thus links three worlds: sensitivity of private portraiture, neoclassical rigor and British culture of effigy. His work thus links three worlds: sensitivity of private portraiture, neoclassical rigor and British culture of effigy. His work thus links three worlds: sensitivity of private portraiture, neoclassical rigor and British culture of effigy. His work thus links three worlds: sensitivity of private portraiture, neoclassical rigor and British culture of effigy. His work thus links three worlds: sensitivity of private portraiture, neoclassical rigor and British culture of effigy. His selection "Henri-Pierre Danloux" notably compares The Torment of a Vestal Virgin. His reading favors space.

Danloux paints the model and the Vestal Virgin with the same question: how does a person maintain his dignity when rank, law or history impose their costume and judgment on him?