Realism Master: James Tissot (Realism Master series)

Wednesday, January 15, 2020 Edit

Category: Books,Arts & Photography

Realism Master: James Tissot (Realism Master series) Details

James Tissot (Jacques-Joseph Tissot) was born in 1836, in Nantes in a seaport on the French coast. Tissot retained an a fascination with all things nautical.Tissot was the son of a very prosperous, successful shopkeeper, also a devout Roman Catholic. In 1856 Tissot went to Paris to train as a painter. At the Ecole des Beaux Arts,Tissot met the young James McNiell Whistler (1834-1903), one of the most celebrated and unusual figures in 19th century art. At about this time Tissot also met, and became a friend of Degas (1834-1917) the Impressionist painter. Like Alma-Tadema, and Edward Burne-Jones, Tissot changed his name at this time to draw attention to himself. In the 1860s the painter became something of a traveller, visiting Italy, and in 1862 London. In 1864 Tissot exhibited his oil paintings at the Royal Academy for the first time, suggesting that he realised the potential of London as a source of wealthy patrons. Tissot concentrated on contemporary scene paintings at this time. In 1869 he progressed to quicker caricatures for Vanity Fair magazine, where "Spy" had been the celebrated producer of this type of work for many years. Tissot produced a brilliant caricature of the elegant, sophisticated Frederic Leighton at an evening reception and gained wider fame. For a quick look at some of Tissot paintings, enjoy our short youtube video