HELLGENDER

Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Desmarais (1756 - 1813), entered the workshop of Gabriel-François Doyen (1726-1806), a professor at the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture.  He applied for the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1783 and in 1784, but without success, to finally be awarded the prize in 1785.  Although he actually came in second that year, he benefitted from a first prize, which remained undidistributed since 1783.  Despite some contestation from other students, Desmarais received his sponsorship and came to arrive at the coveted French Academy in Rome in September of 1786.  The full-length classical nude, The Shepherd Paris, was Desmarais’ académie (submission piece) for 1787, displaying his ability to depict the human form to academic standards.  After this successful stint at the French Academy in Rome, Desmarais chose to remain in the Eternal City.  He was prevented from returning to France due to the outbreak of the French Revolution, to then spend the remainder of his career in Italy, where in Florence, he became an influential teacher, training several students who went on to prominent artistic carreers. He also served as professor of drawing at the academy of arts in Carrara, also acting as its vice-president.