Hippolyte Jean Flandrin (1809-1864)
Jean-Hippolyte Flandrin (1809-1864) was Ingres' favourite and most faithful student, and like him he studied and copied Raphael. This is particularly noticeable in the sketches he made during his stay at the Villa Medici in Rome, where in 1932 he was awarded the Grand Prix de Rome. Although the teachings of his illustrious elder and his imitation of antiquity and classical grandeur would long classify him as an imitator of Ingres in the History of Art, his own sensitivity, inspired by his spirituality, characterizes his work which tends towards a distinctive gentleness and interiorised perspective. Religious painting gave him the opportunity to express this mysticism and serenity and he became one of the great painters who decorated the walls of many Parisian churches. The murals of Saint Germain des Prés exemplify the artworks that marked the high point of religious painting in the 19th century, combining the tradition of biblical iconography with the power of the great classical and modern figures.
