| Rodolphe Julian | |
| Birth Date: | 13 June 1839 |
| Birth Place: | Lapalud, France |
| Nationality: | French |
| Field: | Painting, etching, education |
| Training: | Léon Cogniet, Alexandre Cabanel |
| Awards: | Legion of Honour |
| Death Date: | 2 February 1907 |
Pierre Louis Rodolphe Julian (13 June 1839 – 2 February 1907) born in Lapalud southeastern France was a French painter, etcher and professor, founder and director of the in Paris.[1] The writer André Corthis (1882–1952), winner of the 1906 edition of the Prix Femina was his niece.
Julian worked as an employee in a bookstore in Marseille. He was interested in sports, particularly wrestling.Julian went to Paris, where he became a student of Léon Cogniet and Alexandre Cabanel, professor at the École des Beaux-Arts, without being enrolled there.[2]
In 1863 he exhibited for the first time in the salons.[3]
He married the painter Amélie Beaury-Saurel in 1895.
The challenges that he faced when in Paris led him to found in 1868, a private art academy, the, who also offered training to foreign artists and women who had little access to the official academy . The purpose was to prepare students for entry to the .[4]
Julian was described by the Anglo-Irish novelist and critic George Moore as "a kind of Hercules, dark-haired, strong, with broad shoulders, short legs, a soft voice and all the charm of the Midi".[5]
For his services to the arts, Rodolphe Julian Legion of Honour en 1881.