Achille Laugé

A warm August day in 1861 marked the beginning of the life of Achille Laugé, an artist whose talent and dedication would make him a major exponent of pointillism in France. In the rolling hills of Arzens, in the heart of the Aude department, lay the heart of a long line of farmers who formed the foundation of Laugé's family roots. The young Laugé discovered his passion for art at an early age, and he received his first artistic lessons while still in school. With the support of his teachers, he continued on his path and in 1876 began studying at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse. This place of artistic brilliance became the setting for his meeting with Antoine Bourdelle , Henri Marre and Henri Martin , men whose influence and friendship would shape his career. In the midst of this creative development, however, Laugé struggled with a parallel aspiration to train as a pharmacist. But painting called, and the young artist quickly decided to answer that call.