Auguste FLANDRIN (1804 - 1842), Portrait of Madame Chastel -1834

The eldest of seven children and brother of Hippolyte and Paul Flandrin, René Auguste Flandrin studied composition and painting at the École des Beaux-Arts in Lyon. In 1833, he went to Paris to study under Ingres. However, he refused to follow his mentor to Rome and chose to remain in Lyon, where he began to make a name for himself as a talented artist. Sadly, he died prematurely at the age of 38. His studio attracted many successful pupils, including Louis Lamothe, Joseph Pagnon, Émilien Cabuchet and Benoît Chancel. Flandrin was awarded a bronze medal in 1840.