Mary Magdalene

Jean-Jacques Henner, a distinguished French painter, was born on March 5, 1829, in Bernwiller, Haut-Rhin, and passed away in Paris on July 23, 1905. Renowned for his prolific output, Henner's works grace numerous museums, with his reputation as a skilled portraitist and draftsman well-established during his lifetime. His oeuvre is particularly celebrated for its depictions of pale-skinned, red-haired female nudes in languid poses, a signature style that set him apart from the artistic movements of his era. Among his most famous paintings are 'L’Alsace. Elle attend' and 'Fabiola,' created between the 1870s and 1890s. In 1889, Henner's contributions to art were recognized with his election to the Académie des beaux-arts. Henner's journey into art began in the Sundgau region, where he was born into a peasant family. His early works, characterized by a naive realism, focused on portraits and scenes from the daily lives of his regional compatriots. His formal art education commenced under Charles Goutzwiller at the collège d’Altkirch from 1841 to 1843, followed by studies with Gabriel-Christophe Guérin in Strasbourg. With scholarships from the Haut-Rhin general council, Henner moved to Paris in 1848 to attend the École des beaux-arts, where he trained under Michel Martin Drolling and later François-Édouard Picot. His time in Paris was marked by extensive study of masterpieces by Titian, Raphael, and Poussin at the Louvre, alongside an admiration for 19th-century artists like Ingres, Prud’hon, and Corot. Henner's artistic prowess was officially recognized in 1858 when he won the prestigious Prix de Rome for his painting 'Adam et Eve trouvant le corps d’Abel,' after two previous attempts. This accolade granted him a five-year residency at the Villa Medici in Rome, a pivotal period that further honed his skills and solidified his place in the art world. Despite the evolving art scene around him, Henner remained steadfast in his unique artistic vision, leaving behind a legacy that continues to captivate audiences.