Théodore Gudin (Born 1802) was famous throughout Europe as a marine painter. He was a student of Antoine-Jean Gros and Anne-Louis Girodet at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He was the most celebrated marine painter of the first half of the 19th century. In 1822, he began exhibiting at the Salons and just 2 years later won a first-class medal. He achieved his first successes as a painter of naval subjects and seascapes. His painting titled “The Fire on the Kent” received huge praise at the Salon of 1827 and he was awarded the Legion of Honour by Charles X. Gudin’s paintings in watercolor and sepia wash were much admired for their atmospheric depictions of placid waters, stormy seas, harbor scenes by moonlight and sunsets and were avidly acquired by connoisseurs and collectors throughout Europe. His art is in the collections of the Rijskmuseum in Amsterdam, the Louvre, the British Museum, and in many other places.
The artist painted views of the Mediterranean and the Channel coast, and also traveled to Turkey, Russia, Italy, Poland and Holland. He produced a number of lithographs and etchings, and also continued to exhibit at the Salons until his death. He also contributed illustrations for books. Some of his significant commissions include a series of paintings for Versailles of views of French ports. He also painted a series of nearly 100 large paintings for Louis Philippe depicting victories of the French Navy. Several of the paintings were exhibited between 1839 and 1848 at the Paris Salon.
