The Life and Training of Jean-Jacques Scherrer
Born in Lutterbach, France, Jean-Jacques Scherrer was raised by his uncle following the death of his father when he was six years old. After leaving school, he worked at the Haeffley factory in Pfastatt, where his talent for drawing was noticed by one of the directors. In 1871, he chose French nationality and moved to Paris, where he was taught by Pierre-Jules Cavelier in the studio of Félix-Joseph Barrias. Barrias encouraged him to continue his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts, where he came under the guidance of Alexandre Cabanel, whose academic style he closely followed.
Scherrer married Mathilde Haquette, a porcelain decorator at the Sèvres factory, in 1880. They had two children, Jean and Lucie-Marthe. Following his death in Paris in May 1916, an exhibition of his work was held in 1920.
Artistic Career and Notable Works
Scherrer was a French academic painter whose historical paintings earned him considerable attention in his day. His reputation was established by his painting Résurrection du fils de la veuve de Naïm at the Salon de l'Académie de Peinture. In 1881, L'Assassinat du maréchal Brune earned him a stipendium that allowed him to spend two years in Italy, where he copied the works of Raphaël and other masters in the Louvre. His academic works were often painted with almost photographic precision.
His diverse body of work includes:
