Hippolyte Fournier

France, 20th Century

Hippolyte Fournier was born on March 4, 1852 in Rablay, Maine-et-Loire, France. He was a student of Jean-Paul Laurens at L’Académie Julian.

Fournier exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français where he first exhibited his paintings in 1881 and continued to exhibit regularly. He received a medal at l’Exposition Universelle in 1889 and a bronze medal in 1900; he continued to exhibit his work there through 1910.

Fournier was a painter in the tradition of Paris Salons. Classically instructed, he composed intriguing scenes of docile feminine beauty and used large canvases to invite the viewer.

Like many other artists working in the last decades of the 19th century, Fournier experimented with composition and subtle use of light and shadow. His choice of subjects, especially his nudes, captivated the public’s imagination and ultimately proved to be commercially successful. Fournier died on January 12, 1926.