Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, born August 29, 1780 in Montauban and died January 14, 1867 in Paris, was a French painter. He attended the Académie royale de Toulouse from 1791 to 1797, where he studied with Guillaume-Joseph Roques and the sculptor Jean-Pierre Vigan. On the latter's recommendation, he went to Paris in 1797 to study under Jacques-Louis David. Ingres entered the École nationale de peinture, de sculpture et d'architecture in 1799. He was awarded the Prix de Rome in 1801, but had to wait five years before leaving for Rome. Ingres arrived in Rome in October 1806, and his administrative departure was set for September 23, 1810. However, he remained in Rome after this date. These were his most productive years, with nudes, including the "Bather", landscapes, drawings, portraits and historical compositions.

Ingres was director of the French Academy in Rome from 1835 to 1841. Under his direction, French artists living in Rome were welcomed at the French Academy. In fact, many young artists left for Rome without having obtained the Prix de Rome, to be taught by Ingres. He went on to become Director of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, among other high distinctions that were awarded to him for the rest of his life.