Jean-Léon Gérôme

Jean-Léon Gérôme was a French academic painter and sculptor known for his highly detailed and dramatic historical, mythological, and Orientalist scenes. Trained at the École des Beaux-Arts, Gérôme became a prominent figure in 19th-century academic art and a professor at the same institution. His meticulously rendered works, such as Pollice verso and The Snake Charmer, combined technical precision with theatrical storytelling. Gérôme traveled extensively in the Middle East and North Africa, which deeply influenced his subject matter. Though once dismissed by modernists, he is now appreciated for his craftsmanship and his role in visualizing 19th-century French academic ideals.