This page forms part of a series of pages dedicated to the many artists who worked in Mont Saint-Michel. A full list of all the artists with a link to their works can be found at the bottom of this page.
Movement(s): Romanticism
Eugene Louis Gabriel Isabey (1803 – 1886) was a French painter, lithographer and watercolorist in the Romantic style. He was born to Jean-Baptiste Isabey, a well known painter who enjoyed the patronage of the Imperial Family. Originally, he wanted to be a sailor, but his father insisted that he study painting; a turnabout from the usual situation where the family opposes an artistic career in favor of something more practical.
He shared a studio with fellow artist Xavier Leprince while living in Honfleur.
In 1831, he was chosen to accompany a diplomatic mission to Morocco, led by the Comte de Mornay, but he politely refused. He had just returned from a short trip to Algiers, where he had painted scenes of the Royal Navy’s campaign, and was concerned that the situation there was still too unsettled to make a lengthy stay. He was replaced by his friend, Eugene Delacroix, who created over 100 works that are now considered classics of Orientalism.
Shortly after, however, Isabey became a court painter for King Louis-Philippe and was named a Knight in the Legion d’Honneur in 1832. One of his best known paintings was done during this period, in 1840, depicting the return of Napoleon’s remains from Saint Helena aboard the Belle Poule.
During a trip to England, he was known to have studied the works of J.M.W. Turner. He was especially skillful at rendering subtleties in darker colors; which might be called a form of grisaille. He took in students on a regular basis; including Eugene Boudin, Johan Barthold Jongkind and Durand-Brager. In his later years, he turned from marine painting to historical scenes, usually of a violent nature, such as massacres, duels and robberies.
Click here to read Isabey’s full bio on Wikipedia.
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NOTE: A postern is a secondary door or gate in a fortification such as a city wall or castle curtain wall. Posterns were often located in a concealed location which allowed the occupants to come and go inconspicuously.
Granville
The city of Granville (population: 13,000) is located to the North of Mont Saint-Michel along the coast.
Isabey painted several places in France (a link “⇠” to his works will appear below when published):
- Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes
- Saint-Nectaire
- Brittany
- Douarnenez
- Saint-Malo
- Saint-Servan
- Treguier
- Hauts-de-France
- Boulogne
- Calais
- Saint-Valery-sur-Somme
- Normandy
- Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Bordeaux
- Nanteuil
- Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur
- Avignon
- Hyeres
The Mont Saint-Michel is a very impressive village, used as backdrop for many artists travelling in the region. Here are the artists that we have found that worked in the area (a link “⇠” will appear next to an artist name when we published their works of art. A “*” next to a name indicates that the artist did NOT work in Mont Saint-Michel itself, but closeby).
- 🇬🇧 Bonington, Richard Parkes
- 🇬🇧 Callow, William
- 🇬🇧 Cooke, Edward William
- 🇬🇧 Cotman, John Sell
- 🇬🇧 Fergusson, John Duncan
- 🇫🇷 Gudin, Theodore
- 🇫🇷 Guillaumin, Armand *
- 🇫🇷 Huet, Paul *
- 🇫🇷 Isabey, Eugene
- 🇬🇧 Kay, James
- 🇫🇷 Letellier, Emile-Andre
- 🇬🇧 Meadows, Arthur Joseph
- 🇫🇷 Michallon, Achille-Etna
- 🇫🇷 Parrott, William *
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Related Posts
- 86
Richard Parkes Bonington, a British artist who spent most of his life in France, died early (age 25), but managed to paint many paintings. His Romanticism Landscape style made him a popular painter in his generation. Here is 1 painting of his we found which he made in Mont Saint-Michel,… - 82
Theodore Gudin, a French artist, was the very first official painter/artist of the French Navy. For his work for the country, he was made a Baron. Here are paintings of his we found which he made in Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy. - 81
John Cotman, a British painter, was quite active in Normandy. He spent a lot of time painting in Caen and Ouistreham (suburb of Caen). Here are two of his paintings we found for Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy. - 81
William Callow was an English landscape painter, engraver and water colourist. He travelled extensively in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Italy, had a large number of pupils, and enjoyed favour with the royal family. Here is one of his paintings he made in Mont Saint-Michel and one closeby… - 80
Achille Etna Michallon (1796–1822) was a French painter. Michallon was the son of the sculptor Claude Michallon and nephew of the sculptor Guillaume Francin. He travelled to Italy in 1818 and remained there for over two years. Before he had much time to develop what he had learned however, he…