1863–1926
Occupations
**Jean Célestin Danguy: Symbolist Painter and Printmaker**
Born on November 23, 1863, in Gagny, France, at his maternal grandmother Rose Thorel's home—where she directed the local post office—Jean Célestin Danguy grew up in an artistic family. His father, Célestin Danguy, was a history painter renowned for reproducing Franz Xaver Winterhalter's portrait of Napoleon III for public buildings, including one deposited in the Gironde prefecture. Danguy pursued formal training at the École des Beaux-Arts starting in 1884, studying under illustrious masters including Gustave Moreau, Gustave Boulanger, Jules Lefebvre, Gabriel Ferrier, and Henri-Léopold Lévy. By 1887, he had settled in Paris, living at 100 rue du Cherche-Midi by 1893, immersing himself in the vibrant art scene.
Danguy's oeuvre spanned portraiture, genre scenes, and Symbolist prints, blending introspective allegory with quiet spiritualism. A member of the Salon des artistes français, he crafted evocative lithographs and zincographs published in the journal *L'Épreuve* alongside Symbolist peers like Maurice Denis and Carlos Schwabe. Key works include his award-winning *Jésus et le paralytique* (1888, oil on canvas, 147 × 116 cm), acquired by the French state; the melancholic lithograph *Mélancolie* (1894); haunting prints like *Le Château de la mort* (1895) and *Martyrs* (1895); and the oil *L'Ange à la colonne*. His solitary figures, rendered in subdued tones on Japan paper, evoke reverie and ritual, capturing the fin-de-siècle mood.
In 1888, Danguy secured the premier second Grand Prix de Rome, affirming his classical prowess, and later a bronze medal at the Salon in 1913. Though not as widely celebrated as his mentors, his contributions to Symbolism endure through museum holdings like the Detroit Institute of Arts and auction favorites, reflecting a bridge between academic tradition and modernist introspection. Danguy passed away on December 17, 1926, at Hôpital Broussais in Paris's 14th arrondissement, leaving a legacy of poetic depth in French art.
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