WAKING UP EARLY IN THE MORNING – Pierre August Cot, the French painter that preferred to paint while the light was good

PIERRE AUGUSTE COT 1/3 – He woke at dawn, painted while there was good light. His paintings had a strength that magically was mixed with delicate grace. He created several works of lasting popularity (such as Le Printemps and The Storm, both are on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City), but he also was renowned for his portraits. He, a French painter of the Academic Classicism school, studied under Cogniet, Cabanel and Bouguereau (he maintained a close, almost familial relationship with Bouguereau).

PIERRE AUGUSTE COT 2/3 – He was born in Bédarieux, and before going to Paris studied at l’Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse. He debuted at the Paris Salon of 1863 with historical scenes and allegorical subjects. His paintings showed great originality, merging his conventional classical interests with innocent sensuality. From 1870 on, his popularity immensely grew. In 1874 he received the title ‘Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur’.

PIERRE AUGUSTE COT 3/3 – His Academic Classicism merge techniques to create the perfect style, adhering to a strict manner of painting, following narrow compositional rules and delicacy of color. He gained a lot of popularity as his work began to be widely known to many prominent people in Paris. After his death at the age of forty-six, a subscription was undertaken for a commemorative monument erected at Bédarieux.