Un Apôtre

1833

Becomes a professor at the École des Beaux-Arts

A year after his election to the Académie, he takes up a professorship at the school where he himself once studied. His pupils include Jean-Léon Gérôme, Jean-François Millet and Thomas Couture.

1833

Commissioned to paint a mural in the Madeleine

He is commissioned to paint a large mural for the central nave of the church of the Madeleine in Paris. Aware of his lack of experience in religious painting, he spends a year in Italy studying the religious art of the past; on his return he is told he is to work with Jules-Claude Ziegler and abandons the project altogether, thinking Ziegler would spoil the image he already had in mind.

1834

Leaves for Italy

Sets off for Italy, where he marries the following year.

1835

Marries Louise Vernet

Marries, in Italy, Louise, daughter of the battle painter Horace Vernet, director of the French Academy in Rome.

after 1837

Stops exhibiting at the Salons

After “St. Cecilia” he stops showing his work altogether: the cool reception of the painting, together with his rejection of Davidian values in French society and government, leads to a self-imposed exile from the state-sponsored Salons.

1837

Receives the commission for “The Hemicycle”

The École’s architect, Félix Duban, entrusts him with a monumental mural for the school’s ceremonial hall, later known as the Hémicycle. Four of his pupils assist him.