Pierre Auguste Cot was born at Bedarieux , France. After successful studies at l'Ecole des Beaux Arts in Toulouse, Cot moved to Paris where he continued his studies. Under the tutelage of three widely recognized masters of their day, Leon Cogniet, Alexander Cahanelle and William Adolphe Bouguereau, Cot first exhibited his paintings in 1863 and in 1865, he was awarded first prize by L'Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. By 1870, his popularity quickly emerged and commissioned portrait paintingd of prominent aristocrats outnumbered his earlier figurative subjects at the Paris Salon, where his work was shown. As Cot painted portraits throughout the majority of his lifetime, his figurative paintings, such as "Storm," are quite rare.