Jean Pierre Alexandre Antigna
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Jean Pierre Alexandre Antigna (March 7, 1817 – February 26, 1878)
was a French painter.
Antigna was born in Orléans, France, where his earliest training
took place, under a local painter, Francois Salmon. On October 9,
1837, he entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris where he was a
pupil of Sebastien Norblin de la Gourdaine as well as the renowned
Paul Delaroche.
Until 1845 his paintings were generally religious scenes and
portraits. Yet, after living in the poor quarter of the Île
Saint-Louis in Paris he would incorporate images of the suffering
and burden of urban poor into his works. By the 1848 Revolution
Antigna was devoted to the Realist style, and continued to paint in
this manner until c. 1860 when he began to produce paintings in the
Naturalist vein. He exhibited at the Salon and received the Legion
of Honour in 1861. He traveled to Spain and Brittany numerous times
in order to paint multifarious scenes, yet he always retained his
compassion for the poor.
In 1861 Antigna married Helene-Marie Pettit, who became a painter
herself. Their son, Andre-Marc Antigna, was also a painter and
miniaturist. He died in Paris.
