 He grew up in Brittany and was orphaned in his teens.At first he studied architecture but made his career as a painter, initially in Rennes and later in Paris, studying under Léon Bonnat at the Beaux-Arts.The life of Brittany figured prominently in his early paintings, including his paintings for the Hôtel de l'Épée dining rooms at Quimper, and for the ceiling of the Theatre of Rennes.