Pierre-Asthasie Theodore Senties

Bio

Senties entered the École des Beaux-Arts in 1817 as a pupil of Baron Gros and Regnault. His first exhibited paintings were three works shown at the Lille Salon in 1825, the Death of Alcibiades, Saint Martha, A Young Huntswoman and A Young Woman listening to her Canary. These were followed by The Resurrection of Christ painted for the Cathedral in Valence and exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1827. Sympathetic to the revolution of 1830 he exhibited a Scene of the 29 July 1830 at the Salon of 1831. This painting (now in the Louvre) was an attempt to portray a contemporary historical event in the heroic terms of great history painting. In this endeavor the artist demonstrates his indebtedness to David and Gros and their portrayals of Napoléonic triumphs. This approach, nonetheless, was criticized by some contemporaries who favored a more realistic approach without the heroics designed to give the subject greater stature. Senties exhibited again at the 1833 Salon five portraits in addition to a painting of a young beggar, illustrating his social sympathies. He continued to show at the Salon until 1869, mainly exhibiting portraits but also the occasional religious work and even an Interior in Constantinople (1838).