Who is Louis Joseph César Ducornet? Google Doodle celebrates French painter

The French painter was known for his ability to paint using his feet
Self-portrait of Louis Joseph Cesar Ducornet, 1852
Louis Joseph César Ducornet - Tribune de l'art
Ayan Omar10 January 2024

Google Doodle on Wednesday celebrated the renowned French painter Louis Joseph César who gained fame for his ability to paint with his feet. 

Ducornet was born in 1806 in Lille, a city in northern France, without arms or thighs due to a condition called phocomelia.

The condition was believed to be caused by the use of a drug called thalidomide during pregnancy.

Ducornet was left unable to walk and had to be carried by his father most of the time. When he was a child, he began sketching using only his four toes on his feet, sparking a lifelong passion. 

The French artist honed his craft with the help of the local government that sent him to Paris where he studied under Guillaume Guillon-Lethière, François-Louis-Joseph Watteau and François Gérard, some of the city’s most respected artists. 

Ducornet received a government pension from King Louis XVIII for a short period while he was training to be an artist. 

His disability prevented him from entering the competition for the Prix de Rome, a French scholarship for students of art established by King Louis XIV, but he was bestowed with honours and several medals at the Salon d’Art where exhibitions were held.

Ducornet established himself as an artist, focusing mostly on biblically-inspired and historical pieces such as Repentance (1828) and St. Louis administering Justice. The Lille Museum features both paintings to this day.

In 1840, the French government bought one of his paintings, a 11-foot-high depiction of Mary Magdalene at the feet of Jesus after the resurrection. 

He would later go on to paint his most famous work, a self-portrait portraying him painting with his foot. 

Ducornet died in 1856 aged 50. His work can still be found displayed in art museums across France. 

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