Horace Vernet

Horace Vernet was a French Romantic painter. He came from a family of famous artists, first training with his father Carle Vernet, and then with the family friend François-André Vincent. He painted portraits as well as historic, literary, religious, and anecdotal subjects. His strong sense of narrative, bright palette, and fluid hand lead him to enjoy a successful official career during the Second Empire. Politically, Horace Vernet was a liberal, like his friend Theodore Gericault, whom he met in 1808. Vernet played an important role in the defense of Paris in 1814, and later in his career, glorified Louis Philippe through the historic battle-pieces he executed for theGalerie des Batailles at Versailles. In search of new and exotic subjects, the artist traveled from the north of Africa to the Caucasus. Horace Vernet received many awards during his career: the Legion d’Honneur in 1825, a seat at the Institut de France in 1826, and director of the Academie de France in Rome from 1828 to 1834.