Joseph-Marie Vien (1716-1809)
Joseph-Marie Vien (1716-1809), the son of a locksmith, began his education as a painter in the studio of Natoire before leaving for Rome in 1743. The excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum were rekindling European passions for the ancient world during his stay in Italy. After winning the Grand Prix de Rome in 1745 he returned to Paris in 1750. He was supported by the Comte de Caylus who encouraged him to paint from nature and after the classical style and whose love of archaeology and antiquities led him to embrace a style of painting that broke away from the Rococo style. Vien was a pioneer of Neo-Classical painting who lived through the reign of Louis XV and the Napoleonic Empire. Over the course of his long career, he had a great number of students, including Jacques-Louis David who became the leader of the School initiated by his old master. On his death, Napoleon gave him a state funeral and he was buried in the Pantheon.
