Blanche was born in Paris. Although Blanche received some instruction in painting from Henri Gervex, he may be regarded as self-taught. He became a very successful portrait painter, with a style derived from 18th-century English painters such as Thomas Gainsborough as well as Édouard Manet and John Singer Sargent.. Among the painter's most famous works are portraits of his father, Marcel Proust, the poet Pierre Louÿs, the Thaulow family (Musée d'Orsay, Paris), Aubrey Beardsley (National Portrait Gallery, London), and Yvette Guilbert. He also painted a number of sporting scenes   Museums National Gallery London Musée d'Orsay The National Gallery Washington