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Painting of the Month

Our painting of the month is a wonderful work entitled 'Divine Contemplation' by the French genre artist Victor Marais-Milton.

Marais-Milton was born on July 21st, 1872, in Puteaux just west of Paris. He studied art under Jonchère and the renowned artist Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier who influenced his style. He first exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1892 with a portrait of Mademoiselle Marguerite Picard of the Opera. He regularly exhibited there and became a member of the Salon of French Artists. He also exhibited in London, Antwerp, Monte Carlo, Germany and the USA, as well as at the private galleries of Allard and Simonson and provincial Salons such as those in Mulhouse.

Marais-Milton became known for his finely constructed humorous depictions of Cardinals and Bishops, which satisfied the rekindled desire for genre painting and trend for satirising the clergy. He won many prizes for works depicting these subjects and became highly successful. Later in his life, he moved to Sèvres and set up a studio in his home. The large window he used to illuminate his subjects and some of his furniture was often featured in his paintings. He died in Sèvres in 1944.