Constant

Constant, BENJAMIN, subject-painter, was born in Paris, 10th June 1845. He studied in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and under Cabanel, and began to exhibit at the Salon in 1869, with his 'Hamlet and the King,' a work purchased by the French government. He soon turned to those Eastern subjects for the treatment of which he is best known, producing 'Prisoners in Morocco' (1875); 'Mahomet II.' (1876); 'The Harem' (1878); 'The Favourite of the Emir' (1879); 'The Day after a Victory in the Alhambra' (1882); and 'The Vengeance of the Chérif' (1885). His works are characterised by direct and powerful but frequently most repulsive realism, melodramatic feeling, bold portrayal of the nude, and vivid colouring. He is one of the most popular of contemporary French painters, and received medals in 1875 and 1876, and the decoration of the Legion of Honour in 1878.