Bouguereau's Atelier at the Académie Julian, Paris
How have gender roles impacted the art world?
Chalfant spent two years at the private Académie Julian in Paris, studying figure painting with the academic artist William-Adolphe Bouguereau. This studio view documents the importance placed upon nude study at the academy, which typically rewarded faithfulness to realism and discouraged artistic invention. Chalfant followed in the footsteps of several generations of American artists who studied the latest fashionable—and marketable—academic styles in Europe.
\ Artist
Jefferson David Chalfant
Jefferson David Chalfant first established himself as a fine artist in Wilmington, Delaware; he continued his studies at the Académie Julian in Paris with the French painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau. A meticulous painter of illusionistic still-life paintings, his depictions of dollar bills and postage stamps were occasionally perceived as perfect forgeries. In addition to his work as a painter, Chalfant also patented several inventions, including a bike seat and a type-justification machine.
\ About
Oil on panel
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd