Lion on the Watch

1864–1904

The studio everyone wanted to join

Places in Gérôme’s atelier were limited and keenly sought: only the best students were admitted. Students progressed from drawing after antique works and casts to drawing from the live model and only then were allowed to paint in oils; he attended every Wednesday and Saturday and was known as a severe critic, but helped his students outside the school too, inviting them to his own studio and recommending them to the Salon.

1864–1904

The most “riotous” studio of the École

According to John Milner, who studied with Gérôme, his atelier was the most “riotous” and “lewd” of all the studios at the École: newcomers were put through bizarre initiation rites — slashing each other’s canvases, being thrown down stairs, out of windows and onto upturned stools, and fencing on the model’s dais, nude and with paintbrushes loaded with paint.

1879–1889

Journeys through the East and Europe with his students

He travelled a great deal and took students along, most of whom he was on warm terms with: in 1879 he visited Turkey, in 1880 Egypt, in 1881 Greece, in 1888 England and in 1889 Italy.

1884

Against the Manet memorial exhibition

As a professor Gérôme spoke out sharply against the Manet memorial exhibition at the École des Beaux-Arts, calling Manet an apostle of decadent fashion and of the “art of the fragment”, but he lacked the means to prevent it. After visiting it he remarked drily that it was not as bad as he had thought.

1884

A year of losses: father, brother-in-law and father-in-law

In 1884 Gérôme’s father died and his mother moved to Paris; soon afterwards his brother-in-law Albert Goupil and Albert’s father Adolphe died too. Gérôme took the loss of Albert very hard: they were friends, he sold his works through him and took him along on his travels.