Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Neoclassical master Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867) became the guardian of classical tradition while creating works of sensuous beauty that fascinated modern artists. Born in Montauban to an artist father, he trained under Jacques-Louis David and won the Prix de Rome in 1801. He spent 18 years in Italy absorbing Raphael's lessons before returning to Paris as Neoclassicism's champion against Delacroix's Romanticism.

Ingres insisted on the supremacy of line over color, yet his nudes and Orientalist subjects display sensuality that transcends academic doctrine. La Grande Odalisque (1814) elongates the female form impossibly, anticipating Mannerist and modern distortions. His portraits capture wealthy sitters with meticulous detail. Ingres became France's most honored painter, directing the French Academy in Rome and receiving the Legion of Honor. His expressive distortions influenced Picasso and Matisse. Today the Louvre holds major works including La Grande Odalisque. The Musée Ingres Bourdelle in Montauban preserves his studio contents.