A Sermon (Alphonse Legros)

Alphonse Legros (8 May 1837 – 8 December 1911) was a French-born painter, etcher, sculptor, and medallist who later became a naturalized British citizen. A key figure in the British etching revival, Legros had a lasting impact as both an artist and teacher, blending French academic discipline with the expressive possibilities of printmaking.

Born in Dijon, Legros was the son of an accountant originally from the nearby village of Véronnes. His childhood visits to rural relatives left a deep impression, and the faces of local peasants and the gentle landscapes of Burgundy would later recur throughout his work. Initially trained for a trade, he studied at the Dijon art school before being apprenticed to Maître Nicolardo, a decorative painter and craftsman. In 1851, on his way to Paris, Legros stopped in Lyon, working for six months as a journeyman wall-painter under the decorator Beuchot, who was engaged in painting Cardinal Bonald’s chapel in the cathedral.

Upon arriving in Paris, Legros studied under Charles-Antoine Cambon, a theatre set designer, and attended the renowned drawing school of Lecoq de Boisbaudran, known as the “Petite école.” There, he formed friendships with fellow students Jules Dalou and Auguste Rodin, who, like Legros, would go on to achieve international renown. He later attended evening classes at the École des Beaux-Arts and, around 1857, learned etchingan,  art in which he would excel and taught himself the craft of medal-making.

Legros moved to London in 1863, eventually taking British citizenship. His teaching career, particularly at the Slade School of Fine Art, greatly influenced a new generation of British printmakers and cemented his reputation as a pivotal figure in Victorian art circles.

Notable Work
One significant example of Legros’s early success is his painting Un Prêche (“A Sermon”), exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1872. The work portrays a quiet, contemplative scene: a group of young French women seated in a dimly lit church, listening attentively to a monk’s sermon. The painting was warmly received by contemporary critics.
The Art Journal praised its thoughtful execution, describing it as “a good and well-studied composition… firm and confident.”
Critic F. G. Stephens, writing in The Athenaeum, admired the emotional subtlety and subdued tonal palette, noting “a grave charm in the expressions of the audience… admirable for its sober and strong colouring.”

Legros’s work, steeped in both French realism and British artistic sensibilities, reflects a profound observation of humanity and deep technical mastery—qualities that secured his influence on European art of the late 19th century.