L'Académie Julian et ses élèves canadiens : Paris, 1880-1900

This thesis examines the artistic relations between Canada and France at the end of the nineteenth century, and the legacy of the ‘ateliers libres’ of the Académie Julian within the Parisian arts network. Through a case study, it focuses on the experience of Canadian students at the institution between 1880 and 1900. A conscious desire to provide a detailed study of this art institution drawing upon its annals and various personal accounts underlies the recourse to testimonies by students and journalists of the time to describe the prevailing atmosphere at the Académie Julian as well as its general management, its origin, and the strategies adopted by Rodolphe Julian himself to shape his school into ‘the institution de rigueur’ for those who sought artistic training of the highest calibre. Along with the students themselves, the personality of Julian as well as that of Marie Bashkirtseff – considered to be the "visible" spokesperson of the Académie – are at the forefront of this research since these two individuals were the true ambassadors of the Académie.   Rodolphe Julian, an exceptional entrepreneur, must be examined in his own right to provide an understanding of his complexity and to fully grasp the originality of his Académie. This research examines both the man and his school, which together enticed generations of students, including Canadian painters (curious amateurs and accomplished professionals alike) to acquire not only the technical know-how during their training at the Académie Julian but also earn accolades and awards (prizes, medals and distinctions) inextricably associated with a commercially successful artistic career in Canada.   During that period, French art was highly valued by the dominant Canadian upper and middle classes eager to purchase portraits and landscapes to adorn their living rooms. Indeed, rigorous instruction based on the study of composition and nudes met students’ expectations and directly influenced training methods in their home country. As a result of their training, a large number of former Canadian students of the Académie Julian sought to perpetuate an art education system similar to that of the Académie Julian, thus enabling generations of artists to benefit from their transatlantic experiences as other artist-professors had done before them.  The main thrust of this thesis is its contention that the progressive change in perception of the École des Beaux Arts towards recognition of the "ateliers privés" influenced training prerequisites, shifting the artist into an economic space, intertwining the arts with industry: the artist as entrepreneur capable of adapting and developing his discourse and production in response to market conditions. In Canada, the diversification of technical education and professional training favoured the French artistic model. For artists, studying in Paris was meaningful; it was also a means of enhancing their status.   In addition to tracing the history of the Académie Julian and that of its founder, Rodolphe Julian, this thesis also seeks to identify the presence of Canadian artists in the Académie, and to highlight its contribution to the recognition of fine arts training and its interplay with the honorary system of the Salon, which the Académie and its instructors controlled, by favouring their students.  This thesis comprises three chapters, each linked by an overarching theme: the French art education system. Defining the French artistic context from a Canadian perspective, Chapter 1 deals with painters who were compelled to cross the Atlantic. The first section outlines the training possibilities available to artists in Canada and the training network available to artists in the 19th century. In covering the topic of art education in a country where the French teaching model prevailed, key figures such as Napoléon Bourassa and Abbé Joseph Chabert, are cited. Curé Sentenne’s commission for Montréal’s Notre-Dame Sacré-Cœur chapel of the Notre-Dame Basilica illustrates the near necessity for Canadian painters to travel to Paris to pursue their artistic training and helps explain why the place of production was just as important for an artwork as it was for the artist. At that time the reputation of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, consolidated by the reform of 1863, made this establishment one of the most prestigious in the world. However despite restructuring efforts, the Académie remained out of touch with the times, and this favoured the rise of the ‘Académies libres’, the most famous of all being the Académie Julian.  Chapter II is devoted entirely to the Académie Julian and its founder, an astute businessman and ‘petit maître de la peinture’. The study of the man himself, which has so far served as a backdrop to a more detailed study of the Académie reveals the innovative nature of his establishment particularly with regard to his decision to admit women to study in his studios. Aware of the prospects his school offered, he was willing to accommodate artists from all over the world. His strategies for the expansion of the Académie are analyzed as well as the role of Marie Bashkirtseff in this respect.  Chapter III describes the motivations and preliminary apprenticeships, which encouraged the artists being studied here to pursue their education in Paris, specifically at the Académie Julian. The socio-economic context – perhaps the socio-linguistic as well, since they are interrelated – and the influence of a master of European training appear to be the deciding factors. The institution’s archives shed light on the registration of Canadian painters and the time they spent there. The entries in the records of the Académie along with various personal accounts make it possible to understand how this training institution was managed. Based on information retrieved from the archives, the time that Canadian painter Joseph Saint-Charles spent in Paris is used as a case study not only to link the artist to the Académie Julian but also to determine the strategies which enabled him to be recognized as a professional painter in France as well as in Canada where his successes were widely reported in the press. Although there is no record of Canadian women in the archives of the Académie Julian, their role is nevertheless analyzed, underlining the prevailing gender inequalities. In spite of certain disparities, for female artists the Academy nevertheless constituted a springboard for inclusion and recognition of their artistic practice, whether it was through acquiring a traditional academic apprenticeship where the mastery of drawing prevailed or by working “under the guiding hands” of acclaimed Masters of French painting.   Although the validity of criticisms leveled by students against their school must be acknowledged, for most of them the real purpose of their enrolment was to prepare their future careers as professional artists, facilitate their rite of passage to the "Salon national des artistes français", thanks to the support of the Académie and its instructors, and be “emblazoned” with the ‘Julian trademark’.

Keyphrases: Académie Julian, Académie Julian, Canadian art, Academic Training, Art teaching, 19th century, French influence, Rodolphe Julian, Rodolphe Julian, Marie Bashkirtseff, Marie Bashkirtseff