\paperw19995 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \f1 French painter and printmaker. \par
First taught by his father, Fantin-Latour went on to study with Lecoq de Boisbaudran.
Acquainted with the best-known painters, writers and musicians of the time, he painted many group portraits of them, like \i Corner of a Table\i0 (1872) and \i Around the Piano\i0 (1876), which are among his finest works. He was an admirer of Manet,
to whom he paid explicit homage in \i A Studio at Batignolles\i0 (1870). He was not a member of the Impressionist group, although he shared their rejection of official painting. He remained faithful to his lyrical realism and insisted on the construct
ive character of the composition. His main interest was in the handling of paint, modeled after such great masters as Veronese and Rembrandt. He also produced many still lifes with flowers, demonstrating that he was a precise observer of reality.
