Jean-Michel Grobon

At the age of nine, his parents placed him in the local abbey, where he received his primary education and was employed as an altar server.

The events of the French Revolution made it impossible to remain there and prevented him from making a planned study trip to Rome.

Shortly, however, he decided to switch to painting landscapes en plein air and moved to La Croix-Rousse, where he lived with the Carthusians.

[2] It eventually became safe to return to Lyon and he lived in an apartment provided by Jean-Jacques de Boissieu.

He then accepted an appointment as a Professor at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts de Lyon; having turned down that offer the year before.

In 1819, due to his continuous, hectic work pace, he developed rheumatism and began spending time at the spa in Aix-les-Bains.

Upon the outbreak of the July Revolution, the Director of the École nationale, François Artaud [fr], fled to Avignon and Victor Prunelle, the Mayor of Lyon, asked Grobon to fill the position.