Alexandre Cabanel in 10 Paintings—Master of French Academic Painting

1. Jesus in the Praetorium, 1845

Alexandre Cabanel showed artistic promise from a young age. At just 17, he earned admission to the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. There, he studied under François-Édouard Picot, a former student of Jacques-Louis David. Picot passed on the core values of Neoclassicism, even as his own work leaned toward romantic subjects. The school’s curriculum combined literature, history, religion, and visual arts. Students studied ancient Greece and Rome, medieval religious texts, and key periods in French academic painting.

Cabanel absorbed these influences and expressed them in Jesus in the Praetorium. This work stood out for its energetic movement and emotional depth—traits rare in academic works of that time. The painting also broke from tradition by using tonal contrast to draw the viewer’s eye to the center. Though this bold approach defied conventional taste, critics couldn’t ignore Alexandre Cabanel’s raw talent. He won the coveted Prix de Rome and secured a scholarship to study at the Villa Medici until 1850.

2. Portrait of Alfred Bruyas, 1846

While in Rome, Alexandre Cabanel met Alfred Bruyas, a wealthy young art collector with a deep passion for contemporary painting. Bruyas commissioned Cabanel to paint his portrait—the very piece featured here. The commission sparked a lasting friendship. Over time, Bruyas became more than a supporter; he served as a true patron, helping to launch Cabanel’s professional career.

Their collaboration led to several notable works in 1848, including Albaydé, La Chiaruccia, Man Contemplating, and A Young Roman Monk. These pieces reflect a turning point in Alexandre Cabanel’s development. His portrait of Bruyas in particular highlights a refined mastery of form, shaped by techniques unavailable in Paris. Through his studies of Roman antiquities and Renaissance art, Cabanel absorbed sculptural qualities and compositional depth that enriched his contribution to French academic painting.

3. The Fallen Angel, 1847

One of Alexandre Cabanel’s most iconic works is The Fallen Angel. This painting marks a shift in how artists approached religious themes during the Enlightenment. Rather than showing the classical biblical version of Lucifer’s defeat, Cabanel based the piece on John Milton’s Paradise Lost. The result is not a scene of divine punishment but a portrait of defiance and sorrow.

In Enlightenment thinking, Lucifer became a kind of tragic hero—an emblem of rebellion, reason, and individual freedom. Alexandre Cabanel embraced this romanticized vision. His Fallen Angel radiates emotional complexity, capturing both rage and grief.

4. The Death of Moses, 1850

Alexandre Cabanel created The Death of Moses specifically for his patron, Alfred Bruyas. The painting’s dramatic portrayal draws inspiration from Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling and his sculpture of Moses, originally commissioned for the tomb of Pope Julius II. Just a year earlier, Cabanel had painted St. John the Baptist, a piece that also reflects the influence of Raphael’s classically composed Vatican frescoes.

Cabanel chose to exhibit The Death of Moses at the Salon in Paris in 1852. The painting earned second prize, solidifying his reputation as a prominent young artist in the world of French academic painting. This success marked a turning point in his career, demonstrating his mastery of both composition and emotional depth.

5. The Glorification of St. Louis, c. 1853

The 1850s proved to be a highly successful decade for Alexandre Cabanel. It was also during this period that he began creating his large religious compositions. The Glorification of St. Louis was one such work, commissioned for the Gothic chapel at the royal Château de Vincennes. St. Louis had historical ties to the chapel, as it once housed the crown of thorns relics until the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris was built.

This monumental painting garnered significant attention and placed Cabanel in the sights of Napoleon III, a relationship that would prove crucial for his success in the years to come.

6. Michelangelo in His Studio, Visited by Pope Julius II, 1859

During the 1850s, Alexandre Cabanel exhibited regularly at the Salon in Paris, expanding his repertoire to include historical scenes. Art dealer Adolphe Goupil commissioned Michelangelo in His Studio, Visited by Pope Julius II, marking Cabanel’s first venture into Goupil’s print production. Goupil was known for commissioning historical paintings from renowned artists, which he would later publish as colored prints. These prints made art more accessible to a wider audience—those who couldn’t afford original works but still appreciated historical art.

The subject of this painting is imaginary, though considered historical due to the real figures involved. It reflects the mid-19th century admiration for Renaissance masters and elevates the artist’s status, suggesting that a painter was worthy of receiving a private visit from the pope himself.

7. The Birth of Venus, 1863

The Birth of Venus is perhaps the most famous and iconic painting by Alexandre Cabanel. He exhibited it at the Salon in 1863, where it quickly caught the attention of Napoleon III, who purchased it for his private collection. The painting epitomizes the ideals of French academic painting: a mythological subject, graceful modeling, silky brushwork, and perfected forms. It became immensely popular among collectors, sparking both admiration and controversy.

Artists like Gustave Courbet, who championed a more realistic approach, criticized the work. Meanwhile, writers and critics such as Émile Zola and Joris-Karl Huysmans, who were more receptive to emerging modern artistic trends, defended it.

In The Birth of Venus, the artist departs from traditional depictions of the myth. Venus does not emerge from a clamshell, and there is no contrapposto. Instead, we see ivory skin on a graceful body, rendered with a naturalism that contrasts with her divine origin. The painting showcases Cabanel’s virtuoso technique, blending references to Ingres with an 18th-century style, characteristic of the eclectic tastes of the Second Empire.

The theme of the Birth of Venus was popular in the 19th century because it allowed artists to explore eroticism without offending public sensibilities, all under the guise of classical subject matter. And indeed, the true allure of this painting lies in its eroticism. The classical narrative serves as a pretext for Alexandre Cabanel to portray a seductively painted nude woman, making it both a masterpiece of technique and a provocative exploration of sensuality.

8. Paradise Lost, 1867

Paradise Lost stands as Alexandre Cabanel’s largest and most significant commission abroad, completed for King Maximilian II of Bavaria. It was part of an elaborate iconographic program designed for Munich’s Maximilianeum. In the painting, God and his angels descend to punish Adam and Eve, while Satan flees with the tempting serpent.

Presented at the 1867 Paris Exhibition, the work faced criticism for lacking the grandeur and spirituality expected in such a monumental subject. Unfortunately, the painting was destroyed in 1945, but it survives in a reduced version that Cabanel created, allowing us to appreciate his vision of this dramatic biblical scene.

9. Echo, 1874

In Echo, Alexandre Cabanel depicts the tragic nymph who, cursed by Hera, can only repeat the final words spoken to her. Separated from the man she loves, she retreats to the mountains, slowly fading away until only her voice lingers. Cabanel captures this sorrowful moment with the nymph’s mouth open and her hands pressed to her ears, as if overwhelmed by the sounds echoing around her.

The graceful portrayal of the figure exemplifies the polished, idealized style promoted by the Académie des Beaux-Arts. While many 19th-century critics rejected these idealized nude forms as unrealistic, they were still favored by viewers who preferred them to more raw, realistic representations, which often seemed indecorous. In this painting, Cabanel’s shift towards Romanticism becomes clear, which led to criticism from purists of French academic painting, who still championed the classical approach.

10. Ophelia, 1883

Grief-stricken by the death of her father, Ophelia takes her life by drowning in a stream near Elsinore Castle. In Alexandre Cabanel’s interpretation, the tragic figure of Ophelia is influenced by Delacroix, though Cabanel focuses on a dramatic moment—the instant the tree branch breaks, unable to bear her weight any longer. Ophelia’s exaggerated pose and extended left arm add an element of theatricality to the scene, which would have resonated with European audiences of the time.

The weeping willow, from which she falls, is a classic symbol of mourning, further enhancing the emotional depth of the painting. Cabanel’s meticulous rendering of Ophelia’s shimmering silk dress, trimmed in gold, and the delicate flowers—both in her garland and floating in the water—demonstrates his technical mastery. As Ophelia drifts weightlessly on the water’s surface, she appears both melancholic and captivating. Cabanel suspends her in a moment between life and death, capturing the tragic beauty of this pivotal scene from Shakespeare’s Hamlet.