Louismaurice Boutet De Monvel

Vocation

French painter and illustrator, recognised as a leading figure of the 19th century's golden era of children's book illustration, best known for his watercolours for children's books. In 1895 he published an illustrated children's history of Joan of Arc that has been regarded as his masterpiece. The epic scenes for Joan of Arc show the influence of two late-medieval painters: Fra Angelico in the use of modelling and Paolo Uccello in the composition of battle scenes. Joan of Arc was a huge success and brought him international recognition. During the Franco-Prussian War, he served in the French army. With the return of peace, he began attending the Académie Julian, where he worked with Gustave Boulanger and Jules Lefèbvre, both major influences on his early work. He also worked with Carolus-Duran. In 1876, he married Jeanne Labaigue of Orléans, and their first child was born three years later. Their son Roger would become a writer, and their son Bernard would become a painter. He died in Paris at 3 AM on 16 March 1913, aged 62. Link to Wikipedia biography