Who is Bongrand from The Masterpiece and what is their importance?

Bongrand is an artist. He painted a picture known as The Village Wedding, which now hangs in the Luxembourg Museum. Bongrand detests his painting that everyone else loves because it is something from his past and has no bearing on the work he now does. Independently wealthy, he is free to follow the dictates of his own mind and recognizing Claude's genius, he encourages him to do his own thing and forget the Salon. While Claude admires Bongrand's work, he never listens to the advice given him by the older, wiser artist.