Jean-Paul Laurens, "Emperor Maximilian of Mexico before the Execution", 1882

Hall №314

Jean-Paul Laurens was one of the most popular official artists of the Academic style. The genre in which he worked, is more accurately described as historical realism, which is characterized by the increased attention to historical accuracy of the depicted elements.

For example, in the picture, "Emperor Maximilian of the Mexico before the Execution," the artist consulted with one famous Parisian antiquarian about the weapons and spurs of Mexican officers, and used a copy of the posthumous mask of the Emperor. One of the artist's students Albert Fourier looked similar to Maximilian and posed for his portrait. Laurens also executed a number of sketches with more characters and different details, which were adjusted during his work on the painting. The artist was preparing to exhibit the picture on the Salon of 1882 and hoped that the government would buy it, but the first owner was Russian collector Sergey Tretyakov.

The plot: Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph was an Austrian Archduke; in 1864 with the support of Napoleon III he became emperor of Mexico and was forced to wage war with the Republicans. After Maximilian's defeat, a military court of Republicans sentenced him to death. He was executed on June 19, 1867. During work on the painting this topic was still politically sharp.