Louis HERSENT

Louis Hersent, born on 10 March 1777 in Paris1 and died in the same city on 2 October 18602, is a French painter and engraver.

His father was a burner. Louis Hersent was the student of Jacques-Louis David and Baron Jean-Baptiste Regnault, and won a second prize in Rome3 for La Mort de Caton d'Utique in 1797. He is a history painter still influenced by neo-classicism due to his learning at David's, and a portraitist with romantic accents. He painted a large number of portraits in feet including: Le Duc de Richelieu, Le Prince de Carignan, etc.

He exhibits Narcisse's metamorphosis at the 1802 Salon. He continued to exhibit until 1831, with rare interruptions. His major works under the Empire are Achille separating from Briséis, Atala dying in the arms of Chactas (the two paintings appear among the engravings of the Annales of the Landon Museum), An incident of Fénelon's life (1810, Château de la Malmaison) and Le Passage du pont de Landshut (1810, Château de Versailles). He was elected a member of the Academy of Fine Arts in 1822. Appointed professor of painting at the École des beaux-arts de Paris on 17 March 1825, replacing Anne-Louis Girodet, he will have Émile Signol as successor to his death in 18604.

He married Louise Marie-Jeanne Hersent (1784-1862), daughter of a learned gem, Antoine-René Mauduit. She was also the student of Charles Meynier. His first exhibition at the Salon de peinture dates from 1810. It opens at their Parisian home, at No. 22 Cassette Street, a painting school reserved for women. She entrusts her leadership to one of her best students, Madame Dénos, who succeeds Auguste Galimard (1813-1880), author of a famous Léda who dominated the place that occupied the chapel of this former convent of nuns. He himself had his workshop open to his students. Marie-Jeanne Hersent died fourteen months after her husband.

The couple rests in Paris at the Père-Lachaise cemetery (32th division), where their burial is decorated with a medallion in white marble and sculptures in bas-reliefs by François Lanno, representing both artists and their works.