Eugène Fromentin

Two Horses with a Landscape

1850's

Eugène Fromentin was a notable French Orientalist and painter who exhibited frequently at the Parisian Salons and was the recipient of numerous prizes and juried awards. Fromentin was initially a student of Jean-Charles-Joseph Rémond, the historical landscape painter, who won the Prix de Rome in 1821. He subsequently studied with Louis Cabat, director of the French Academy in Rome, who exposed him to the ideas and techniques of the Barbizon School. In 1844, impressed by an exhibition of the Orientalist landscapes of Prosper Marilhat, Fromentin made his first trip to Algeria where he painted numerous studies of the landscape and inhabitants, thus establishing himself as one of the most prominent of the second generation of French Orientalists. For many years, the people and culture of Algeria continued to provide themes for his work. Fromentin's first public success was with the landscape, by the Gorges de la Chiffa, which he exhibited at the Salon of 1847. In addition to a successful artistic career, Fromentin was also the award-winning author of numerous works on travel, art theory and art history, including The Old Masters of Belgium, Holland, Dominique and A Summer in the Sahara. In The Old Masters of Belgium and Holland, he explored the complexity of Rubens and Rembrandt paintings with informed speculation about the artists' emotions during the process of their artistic creation. This painting is also accompanied by the 1936, art deco edition of Fromentin's work, A Summer in the Sahara. Fromentin is listed in all relevant art biographical dictionaries including Benezit which also shows an image of the Cachet de Vente seal authenticating the painting as originating from the posthumous sale of Fromentin's estate. Fromentin's works can be found in numerous public collections, including the Louvre (Paris), Rath Museum (Geneva), The State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow) and in Brussels, Reims and Rouen.