Évariste Vital Luminais was a French painter. He was born in Nantes on October 13, 1821. He died in Paris in 1896.
Son of Clara and Rene Luminais, he was born into a family of parliamentarians and lawyers. His family, aware of his talent, sent him to Paris to study with the painter and sculptor Auguste Debay. At the age of 18, he put himself under the tutelage of Cogniet Leon. Finally, he joined the workshop of Constant Troyon, painter of landscapes and animals, who would become his true mentor. His official career began in the Paris Salon, where two of his paintings were accepted in 1843. In 1869, he received the Legion of Honor. He scored a success at the Paris Salon of 1884 with the painting Flight of King Gradlon. Another Luminais' important painting is The Sons of Clovis II. His painting, "The Death of Brunehaut," also brought him great acclaim. He divided his time between his Paris studio and his house in Douadic in the department of Indre.
French artist Albert Maignan was a student of Luminais. Luminais died in Paris at age 75. He was buried in the little cemetery in Douadic. The city of Nantes has a street named for him.