Jean-Jacques Henner (15 March 1829 – 23 July 1905) the sixth and last child of Alsatian peasants, Henner became an extremely successful portraitist and painter of female nudes in Second Empire and Third Republic Paris. He was noted for his use of sfumato and chiaroscuro in his paintings and portraits.
Rebecca at the Well
Oil On Canvas
39 1/2 x 26 5/8 (100.3 x 67.6 cm)
Legion of Honor museums of San Francisco
The story of Rebecca at the well comes from the Book of Genesis. The aged Abraham, wanting a wife for his son Isaac, sent his servant Eliezer to his homeland of Mesopotamia to find a suitable woman. Tired after his long journey, Eliezer stopped at a well and prayed for guidance. When Rebecca offered water to Eliezer and his camels, the old steward recognized her as the appointed bride and presented her with the betrothal jewels offered by the kneeling servant. More on The story of Rebecca at the well
He would typically sign his paintings "Henner," sometimes on the front, and sometimes on the back of his canvas. During frequent trips home, Henner would use his family and friends as his subjects, and had a particular attraction to painting women with red hair. Painting redheads and nudes with red hair would become his calling card, and gained him great notoriety in his time.
Jean-Jacques Henner (1829-1905)
Saint Sebastian, 1888
Oil on canvas - 150 x 125 cm
Paris, Musée Jean-Jacques Henner
Saint Sebastian (died c. 288) was an early Christian saint and martyr. According to Christian belief, he was killed during the Roman emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christians. He is commonly depicted in art and literature tied to a post or tree and shot with arrows. Despite this being the most common artistic depiction of Sebastian, he was, according to legend, rescued and healed by Irene of Rome. Shortly afterwards he went to Diocletian to warn him about his sins, and as a result was clubbed to death. He is venerated in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. More
Henner was born at Bernwiller (Alsace); and began his studies in art as a pupil of Michel-Martin Drolling and François-Édouard Picot. In 1848, he entered the École des Beaux Arts in Paris.
Jean Jacques Henner, (1829 – 1905)
Sketch for Adam and Eve Finding the Body of Abel, c.1858
Oil on canvas
I have no further description, at this time
Henner's first known works are family portraits, which he continued to produce alongside the portrayals of notables commissioned later. Although he had won some medals in the early 1850s, Henner's failure to obtain the Prix de Rome in 1855 discouraged him and he returned home for two years. During this stay he visited Basel, where he saw Holbein's Dead Christ (1521, Öffentliche Kunstammlung, Basel), a continuing source of inspiration for Henner's religious pictures.
Jean Jacques Henner, (1829 – 1905)
Adam and Eve Finding the Body of Abel
Oil on canvas
Phoenix Art Museum
In Paris, Henner achieved the Prix de Rome in 1858 with Adam and Eve Finding the Body of Abel (École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris), which several critics considered one of the most original entries in the competition's history. During his subsequent five years in Italy, Henner was inspired by the landscapes of Rome and its environs, which he painted in a manner reminiscent of the early Corot. He also discovered the Italian masters such as Titian (active 1508-1576) and Giorgione (1477-1510). The most significant influences on Henner's popular female nudes, however, were the works of Correggio{P/} (ca. 1489/94-1534), and those by the French artist Prud'hon, whom he had admired earlier in Paris.
Jean-Jacques HENNER (1829-1905)
Adam et Eve trouvant le corps d'Abel.
Sketch for the contest Grand Prix 1858.
300 x 238 mm
Charcoal and red chalk on paper
Musée National Jean-Jacques Henner, Paris
Jean Jacques Henner, (1829 – 1905)
Adam and Eve finding the Body of Abel, c. 1858
Oil on canvas
Ecole nationale supérieure des beaux- arts, Paris
In Rome, he was guided by Flandrin, and painted four pictures for the gallery at Colmar among other works.
Jean-Jacques Henner, d'après, after, le Corrège
La descente de croix, c. 1860
Oil on canvas
230x255
Paris, Jean-Jacques Henner museum
Henner painted a dead Christ lying at the foot of the cross and added to the background, members of his family (Mrs. Seraphin Henner Henner Eugenie wearing both the Alsatian veil of mourning and Jules Henner) in donor attitudes. It mixes here with no real hierarchy, the sacred sphere and the secular sphere. More
Antonio Allegri da Correggio
The Deposition, c. 1525
Oil on canvas
158.5 x 184.3 cm
Parma National Gallery, Parma, Italy
He first exhibited Bather Asleep at the Salon in 1863 and subsequently contributed Chaste Susanna (1865), now in the Musée d'Orsay. Other noted works include: Byblis turned into a Spring (1867); The Magdalene (1878); Portrait of M. Hayem (1878); Christ Entombed (1879); Saint Jerome (1881); Herodias (1887); A Study (1891); Christ in His Shroud (See Below)
Jean Jacques Henner, (1829 – 1905)
Sketch, Lamentation over the Dead Christ
10 x 18 cm
Osenat | Fontainebleau - France
Jean Jacques Henner, (1829 – 1905)
Jesus in the tomb, c. 1879
Oil on canvas
71 x 198 cm
Orsay Museum, Paris - France
Jean Jacques Henner, (1829 – 1905)
Jesus in the tomb, c. 1896
Oil on canvas
136 x 176 cm
National Museum Jean-Jacques Henner, Paris,- France
Jean-Jacques Henner (1829 - 1905)
Pièta
Oil on wood
H. 12.5 ; L. 21
Musée national Jean-Jacques Henner, Paris
Henner Jean Jacques (1829-1905)
Christ in the shroud/ Le Christ au linceul, étude pour le tableau du salon de c. 1896
Oil on cardboard
Hauteur : 0.175 m Largeur : 0.3 m Paris ; Jean-Jacques Henner National Museum
and a Portrait of Carolus-Duran (1896); a Portrait of Mlle Fouquier (1897); and The Dream (1900).
Jean-Jacques Henner (1829 - 1905)
Tête de Christ au tombeau/ Head of Christ in the Tomb 1884
Oil on canvas H. 15.8 ; L. 20,2
Musée national Jean-Jacques Henner, Paris
The Levite of the Tribe of Ephraim (1898) (Below) was awarded a first-class medal. Among other professional distinctions,
Jean-Jacques Henner, French, 1829–1905
The Levite of Ephraim and His Dead Wife, ca. 1898
Oil on canvas
60 x 92 cm (23 5/8 x 36 1/4 in.)
Princeton University Art Museum
Henner Jean Jacques (1829-1905)
Le Lévite d'Ephraïm et sa femme morte, c. 19e siècle
huile sur bois
0.15 mL x 0.2 mL
Paris, musée Jean-Jacques Henner
Henner Jean Jacques (1829-1905)
Le Lévite d’Éphraïm et sa femme morte
Hauteur : 0.109 m, Largeur : 0.185 m
Paris, musée Jean-Jacques Henner
Henner Jean Jacques (1829-1905)
Le Lévite d’Éphraïm et sa femme morte
Hauteur : 0.136 mLargeur : 0.212 m
Paris, musée Jean-Jacques Henner
The Bible: The account of the Levite and his concubine begins in Judges 19. The Levite’s concubine had run away and been unfaithful to him. From the start, there is the problem of a Levite (from the priestly tribe) having a concubine, and then there is the problem of the woman being involved in a sexual relationship with someone else.
As he travelled to bring the woman back to his home, the Levite stopped for the night in Gibeah, a town of the Benjamites. An older man insisted they stay at his home instead of in the town square. As they were at the man’s home, verse 22 notes, “Some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, ‘Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him.’” The host tried to reason with them, but they would not listen. To spare himself, the Levite sent his own concubine outside. The mob abused her that night. When the man opened the door in the morning, the concubine’s dead body was there at the entrance (Judges 19:26–28).
The Levite placed her body on his donkey and traveled home. He then cut her body into 12 pieces—one for each tribe of Israel—and sent the pieces throughout the land. The striking response was, “Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Just imagine! We must do something! So speak up!” (Judges 19:30).
The tribes of Israel (minus Benjamin) came together and decided to have the men who killed the concubine put to death. But when they confronted the people of Benjamin, the Benjamites refused to turn the guilty men over for their crimes (Judges 20:12–14). A civil war erupted, with the tribe of Benjamin eventually being defeated. All but 600 men of Benjamin were killed (Judges 12:47–48).
Judges 21 records the aftermath of this war. After a period of mourning, the nation’s leaders sought to find a way to keep the tribe of Benjamin alive. Their answer was to punish the city of Jabesh-gilead, who did not respond to the call to gather against the Benjamites. The punishment was that the 600 Benjamite men were allowed to steal young women from Jabesh-gilead to take as their wives.
More on The Levite of Ephraim and His Dead Wife
Henner also took a Grand Prix for painting at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900. He was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 1873, Officer in 1878, and Commander in 1889. In 1889, he succeeded Cabanel in the Institut de France.
Henner died at age 76 in Paris.
Other works:
Jean-Jacques Henner (1829–1905)
Salome
Oil on canvas
72-1/4 x 36-1/4 inches (183.5 x 92.1 cm)
Private collection
Jean-Jacques Henner (French, 1829-1905)
Salomé, variante tardive
Oil on canvas
39 x 26 in. (99.1 x 66 cm.)
Private collection
See: 42 Paintings, RELIGIOUS ART - The Story of John The Baptist as shown by the Old Masters, with footnotes, 13
This version of Herodias is a study for a painting that was presented at the 1887 Salon and whose current whereabouts are unknown. Henner often prepared for his paintings by doing large studies on brown paper which allowed him to establish the essential features of his composition. They are characterised by a force and expressiveness that are toned down in the final work.
Herodias is seen holding a platter in which lies the severed head of John the Baptist that her daughter, Salome, obtained by pleasing Herod with her dancing. Henner painted several female characters from the Bible in similar poses: Herodias (in 1887, of which there are several versions), Judith (around 1886-1887) (See Bellow) and Rebecca (around 1903-1905). More on this painting
Jean-Jacques Henner (1829–1905)
The Chaste Susannah, circa 1865
Oil on canvas
185 x 130 cm
Musée d'Orsay
A fair Hebrew wife named Susanna was falsely accused by lecherous voyeurs. As she bathes in her garden, having sent her attendants away, two lustful elders secretly observe the lovely Susanna. When she makes her way back to her house, they accost her, threatening to claim that she was meeting a young man in the garden unless she agrees to have sex with them. She refuses to be blackmailed and is arrested and about to be put to death for promiscuity when a young man named Daniel interrupts the proceedings, shouting that the elders should be questioned to prevent the death of an innocent. After being separated, the two men are questioned about details (cross-examination) of what they saw but disagree about the tree under which Susanna supposedly met her lover. In the Greek text, the names of the trees cited by the elders form puns with the sentence given by Daniel. The first says they were under a mastic (ὑπο σχίνον, hupo schinon), and Daniel says that an angel stands ready to cut (σχίσει, schisei) him in two. The second says they were under an evergreen oak tree (ὑπο πρίνον, hupo prinon), and Daniel says that an angel stands ready to saw (πρίσαι, prisai) him in two. The great difference in size between a mastic and an oak makes the elders' lie plain to all the observers. The false accusers are put to death, and virtue triumphs. More on the Chaste Susannah
Jean-Jacques Henner (1829 - 1905)
Saint Jérôme 1881
Oil on canvas H. 140.4, l. 200
Musée des beaux-arts, Valenciennes
Saint Jerome (c. 347 – 30 September 420) was a Catholic priest, confessor, theologian and historian, who also became a Doctor of the Church. He was the son of Eusebius, born ina village, in northeastern Italy. He is best known for his translation of most of the Bible into Latin (the translation that became known as the Vulgate), and his commentaries on the Gospels. His list of writings is extensive. The protégé of Pope Damasus I, who died in December of 384, Jerome was known for his teachings on Christian moral life, especially to those living in cosmopolitan centers such as Rome. In many cases, he focused his attention to the lives of women and identified how a woman devoted to Jesus Christ should live her life. This focus stemmed from his close patron relationships with several prominent female ascetics who were members of affluent senatorial families. More on Saint Jerome
Jean-Jacques Henner (1829 - 1905)
Sainte Madeleine en prière 1889
Oil on canvas H. 35.2 ; L. 10,8
Musée national Jean-Jacques Henner, Paris
Jean-Jacques Henner (1829–1905)
Pleureuse, Weeping Magdalene
Oil on canvas
15 x 21¾ in. (38 x 55.3 cm.)
Private collection
Jean-Jacques Henner (1829–1905)
Pleureuse (kneeling Magdalene)
Jean-Jacques Henner (1829–1905)
Pleureuse (kneeling Magdalene)
,+Madeleine.jpg)
Jean-Jacques Henner (1829-1905)
All penitent Magdalene, c. Paris 1885
Monochrome
270 x 210
National Museum Jean-Jacques Henner
Mary Magdalene is a figure in Christianity. Mary Magdalene travelled with Jesus as one of his followers. She is said to have witnessed Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Within the four Gospels she is named at least 12 times, more than most of the apostles. During the Middle Ages she developed a reputation in Western Christianity as being a repentant prostitute or loose woman. This is not supported by the canonical gospels.
She is most prominent in the narrative of the crucifixion of Jesus, at which she was present. She was also present two days later when she was either alone, or as a member of a group of women, the first to testify to the resurrection of Jesus.
Mary Magdalene was present from the "beginning of a movement that was going to transform the West". She was the "Apostle to the Apostles", an honorific that the 3rd century theologian Hippolytus of Rome gave her in his commentary on the Song of Songs. Ideas that go beyond the gospel presentation of Mary Magdalene as a prominent representative of the women who followed Jesus have been put forward over the centuries. Some have considered her as fulfilling a role similar to that of Simon Peter among the male disciples. More on Mary Magdalene
All penitent Magdalene has lost her face and contours. Henner avoids included a look or a face. If Madeleine is a in moment of the spirit which expresses itself, it must be the least individualized possible. True to the spiritualist motto, Henner think that individuals are only "temporary illusions." So it begs in his paintings any singularity. Henner is not in a moment in the life of a subject, he illustrates a moment in the life of a body.
Séailles Henner said he began to work on Nature in the evening when the lights are attenuated, when early natural unit shines in the darkness. Séailles continues: "The table does not divide [...] it is a single image, it appears first as a whole." More on this painting
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Jean-Jacques Henner (1829–1905)
Penitent Madeleine (1878)
Mulhouse, Musee des Beaux Arts
Jean-Jacques Henner
MARY MAGDALENE
48.5 X 36.75 in (123.19 X 93.34 cm)
Oil on canvas
Private collection
The present composition obsessed Henner, who painted a number of large replicas including the present work, after the original shown at the Paris Salon of 1878 (Mulhouse, Musée des Beaux-Arts). The model for these compositions was Cécile Vathier, one of Henner's favourites.
After Jean-Jacques Henner
PENITENT MAGDALENE
36 X 27 in (91.44 X 68.58 cm)
Oil on canvas
Private collection
Jean-Jacques Henner
LA MAGDELEINE, c. 1880
48.23 X 37.2 in (122.5 X 94.5 cm)
Oil on canvas
Private collection
Jean Jacques Henner, 1829 - 1905
LA MAGDELEINE
Oil on canvas
56 1/2 × 47 in, 143.5 × 119.4 cm
Private collection
Jean Jacques Henner, 1829 - 1905
LA MAGDELEINE, 1880
Oil on canvas
122.5 by 94.5cm., 48¼ by 37¼in
Private collection
Jean-Jacques Henner (1829–1905)
La Madeleine (1881)
Madeleine Series
Cantor Arts Center, Stanford, California
Jean-Jacques Henner (1829–1905)
Rêverie, c. between 1904 and 1905
Oil on canvas
height: 142 cm (55.9 in); width: 102 cm (40.1 in)
Musée des Beaux-Arts de la ville de Paris
If Henner is known at all, it is only to a few students of nineteenth century art, and more for his symbolist works of women with long red hair than for any other subject. Even though he is of interest to some historians and curators of the nineteenth century, his prolific output remains largely unknown to the general public, and to most outside of France.
Jean-Jacques Henner
Madeleine dans le désert
42.5 X 56 in (107.95 X 142.24 cm)
Oil on canvas
Private collection
Those few who do know his work are often confronted with the issue of an overabundance of images, the lack of a consistent aesthetic quality, and the lingering suspicion that Henner's paintings were copied in the nineteenth century in order to capitalize on his reputation and fame. Adding to the difficulty of mounting an exhibition of Henner's oeuvre is that his images often look similar, and his paintings are exceedingly dark in tone, which complicates their accessibility to a modern audience.
Even though Henner painted during the Impressionist era, his dark canvases suggest that they might look best under candlelight rather than under the brilliant illumination needed to study the best Impressionist canvases.
Jean-Jacques Henner
CHRIST EN CROIX, CHRIST ON THE CROSS, c. 1829 et 1905
huile sur toile
H. 2.07 ; L. 1.42
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Strasbourg, France
Jean Jacques Henner, 1829 - 1905
Saint Sebastian Attended by Saint Irene, c.1889
Oil on canvas
H. 150,5 cm x W. 118,6 cm
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Saint Sebastian (died c. 288) was an early Christian saint and martyr. According to Christian belief, he was killed during the Roman emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christians. He is commonly depicted in art and literature tied to a post or tree and shot with arrows. Despite this being the most common artistic depiction of Sebastian, he was, according to legend, rescued and healed by Irene of Rome. Shortly afterwards he went to Diocletian to warn him about his sins, and as a result was clubbed to death. More on Saint Sebastian
Jean-Jacques Henner (1829-1905)
Saint Sebastian, study for the 1888 Salon painting
Oil on canvas
1500x1250
Paris, Jean-Jacques Henner museum
The treatment of light and shade, clearly the influence of Pierre-Paul Prud’hon, is also unusual in the way that the painter uses them to make one of the arms disappear into the shadows. The moonlight and the contrast between the saint’s pale body and the women’s black veils are typical of Henner’s style. More on this painting
Jean-Jacques Henner (1829-1905)
The Prodigal Son, circa 1882
Oil on canvas
Paris, National Museum Jean-Jacques Henner
The Parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the parables of Jesus. It appears in only one of the Canonical gospels of the New Testament, the Gospel of Luke (Luke 15:11-32). Jesus shares it with his disciples, the Pharisees and others. According to the story, a father has two sons. The younger son asks for his inheritance before the father dies, and the father agrees. The younger son, after wasting his fortune (the word "prodigal" means "wastefully extravagant"), goes hungry during a famine, and becomes so destitute he longs to eat the same food given to hogs, unclean animals in Jewish culture. He then returns home with the intention of repenting and begging his father to be one of his hired servants, expecting his relationship with his father is likely severed. Regardless, the father finds him on the road and immediately welcomes him back as his son and holds a feast to celebrate his return, which includes killing a fattened calf usually reserved for special occasions. The older son refuses to participate, stating that in all the time he has worked for the father, he never disobeyed him; yet, he did not even receive a goat to celebrate with his friends. The father reminds the older son that the son has always been with him and everything the father has is the older son's (his inheritance). But, they should still celebrate the return of the younger son because he was lost and is now found. More on The Parable of the Prodigal Son
Jean-Jacques Henner
Judith, etude," c.1880
Musée National Jean-Jacques Henner, Paris, France
Jean-Jacques Henner,
Judith, etude," c.1880,
Musée National Jean-Jacques Henner, Paris, France
JEAN JACQUES HENNER, French, 1829 - 1905
JUDITH. SMALL HALF-LENGTH REPLICA TURNED TOWARDS LEFT
Oil on canvas
16⅝ by 13¼ in.; 42.2 by 33.7 cm
Private collection
Jean-Jacques Henner (1829-1905)
Portrait de femme en robe rouge (Judith)
Oil on canvas
Haut. 110 - Larg. 63 cmPrivate collection
Jean Jacques Henner has been called the Titian of modern art, and in the sense of a grand devotion to color and a wonderful power in the painting of the nude figure he has a certain sympathy with the Italian master. But he is also a portrait painter and a painter of religious subjects of supreme force. More on Jean Jacques Henner
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