His father wanted the son to become a sailor, but he since the childhood liked to draw and started to study in the Studio of the engraver Pierre-Philippe Chauffard. The boy dreamed about the painting that his eldest brother, who served as an actor in the Comedy française in 1785 paid for his move to Paris and study in the capital. In 1789 Magne won the Rome prize and left for training in Italy. Returning to Paris in 1793, he began to paint large paintings in the neoclassical style. In the same year he participated in the competition announced by the public safety Committee for the best work of the revolution. His painting "France encouraging science and the Arts" did not win first prize, but helped the artist to gain a high reputation. In 1795 he debuted at the Salon. In 1806 Mania he created sketches of the reliefs and sculptures for the arc de Triomphe Carousel.
