Henri Regnault

b. 1843 — d. 1871

The writers who knew him well, such as Henri Cazalis and Arthur Duparc, characterized Henri Regnault as having a fiery temperament, being demanding, but also capable of generosity and compassion. A timid being, respectful of others, was hidden behind a sometimes arrogant facade. Highly athletic, he was an untiring hiker; he swam, hunted, and went horseback riding. He had always made drawings; as a child he drew the animals of the Jardin des Plantes from memory. Once he had completed his classical studies, Regnault had no difficulty in deciding upon his vocation. Seeking advice, his father, Victor Regnault, the famous chemist and physicist, contacted Ingres (q.v.) and Hippolyte Flandrin (1809-1864). At that time Flandrin was very busy painting frescoes at Saint Germain-des-Prés and could not take Regnault on as a student. Thus, Flandrin directed him to the studio of Louis Lamothe (1822-1869), another former student of Ingres.1 Austere and dull, Lamothe knew no better than to assign Regnault the task of drawing after the religious subjects of Raphael (1493-1520), Poussin (1594-1665), and Ingres. Meanwhile, at the École des Beaux-Arts, under Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1889) Regnault was being taught to work after nude models. Neither method suited the young student, who was more interested in color. Nevertheless, even this experience did not thwart his deeply felt calling. Just at the beginning of a dazzling career, Regnault's life ended tragically when, at the age of twenty-seven, he fell under Prussian fire at Buzenval in 1871.