As I entered the Louvre in Paris I encountered an artist which had been criticized once as a true rebel in terms of form and content. He was staring at his art work of La Grande Odalisque done in 1814, which is the one art work that had created such criticism. I approached him and said, “Raphael or David, which do like more?” He immediately turned around and said, “Raphael-no doubt!” From that moment forward we spoke for hours and he answered several questions I had as we walked around the Louvre. Here is a part of our conversation:
Diana: I have noticed your different odalisques, your female nudes, are executed with great delicacy and are placed in exotic, foreign surroundings, and your "troubadour" paintings present equally romantic moments in the history of French kings. Your drawings are the most purely classical of your works. I can see in this painting (Apotheosis of Homer) how you have been greatly influenced by Raphael, especially how his School of Athens served as an inspiration for you.
School of Athens by RaphaelIngres: Indeed it was. Raphael is my idol! Ever since I moved to Italy…
Diana: What do you mean you were not born in Italy?
Ingres: No way. I am a French painter and I did not move to Italy until I was about 26 years old.
Diana: Could you tell more about your life in France: your first art lessons, your French influences at the time and so on?
Ingres: Definitely. My father, Joseph Ingres, was actually my first art teacher. I took classes from him and then when I turned 11 years old (1791) I entered the Royal Academy of Arts in Toulouse. Then when I turned 17 years old (1797) I was awarded first prize by the Academy so I was sent to study the principles of composition and human anatomy in Paris at Jacques-Louis David’s studio. However, we had different opinions and styles that led me to look somewhere else for an inspiration. After winning the “Grand Prix de Rome” for Ambassadors of Agamemnon, I moved to Italy in 1806 and continued my studies, as required of every winner of the Prix. My interest on Raphael’s style increased and he became my idol.
Ambassadors of Agamemnon Diana: So then you moved to Rome but did you ever come back to Paris?
Ingres: I did go back in 1824 and was celebrated throughout France after my Vow of Louis XIII was exhibited at the Salon.
Vow of Louis XIII Diana: But I thought you had been scorned by artists and critics when you first came out with La Grande Odalisque.
Ingres: Yes, the combination of precise classical form and Romantic themes created some confusion and criticism when La Grande Odalisque was first exhibited in 1814. However, it all changed gradually. In 1825 I was awarded with the Cross of the Legion of Honor and then in 1826 after the publication of a lithograph of La Grande Odalisque I had become widely popular. The public suddenly perceived that my art, despite my deviations, still contained many elements that adhered to the official Neoclassicism.
Diana: So you stayed there for the rest of your life?
Ingres: No, I got outraged by the criticism of my Martyrdom of Saint Symphorien and left Paris to go to Rome again and became the Director of the French Academy of Arts in Rome (1835-1841).
Diana: So, do you think your art work should be exhibited in Italy instead of here at the Louvre?
Ingres: No, I think having my work at the Louvre in Paris is perfect. I was born in France and even though I might have spent many years in Italy this continues to be the place where it all started. It went from my studio lessons from David in here in Paris to my amazing welcome in 1841. When I came back to France, there was a great welcoming parade held in my honor and the king himself invited me to the Versailles.
Diana: That is something extraordinary. You are a superb master of physical exactness and of psychological understanding. Like Raphael influenced you, you have also influenced nineteen-century sculpture and artists such as Renoir, Degas, Modigliani, Seurat and Picasso, in their use of form and line. Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, you are truly a universal artist because of your basic belief in "art for art's sake," your rich color, and your brilliant drawing abilities.
Ingres: Well thank you!
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