Inside, Outside – The World of the Artist (Ernest Meissonier)

Established in 1994, THE COURSE offers innovative and exciting lectures in Art History, Literature, Music and Opera.

In INSIDE, OUTSIDE, The World of the Art, Nicole Mezey will look at how creativity reflects the personal and professional experience of the artist. This series focuses on a different artist each week, looking first at the life behind their creations – the mental asylum in which Richard Dadd produced some of his greatest works, the pressure of eight children on the output of Frans Hals – before moving on to explore their work and the way it reflects that experience.

Ernest Meissonier (1815 – 1891), The Incontestable Master of our Age

Although almost forgotten today, Ernest Meissonier defies all our expectations of artistic poverty and struggle. In return for the majestic history paintings so beloved of Parisian high society, Meissonier received unprecedented prices which enabled him to live like a prince, celebrated by Napoleon III, Delacroix and Alexandre Dumas, among others, and become the epitome of celebrity and worldly success.