The Refined Gaze: Jean-Baptiste-Ange Tissier and the Portraiture of an Era Jean-Baptiste-Ange Tissier (1843-1906) occupies a fascinating, if often overlooked, position within the landscape of 19th-century French painting. He wasn’t a revolutionary iconoclast like Courbet or Manet, nor did he pursue the atmospheric explorations of the Impressionists. Instead, Tissier carved out a successful career as a highly sought-after portraitist, specializing in capturing the elegance and opulence of the Second Empire and its immediate aftermath. His canvases offer a compelling glimpse into the lives of…