An artist from Lorraine, Emile Friant was born in Dieuze (Moselle, France) in 1863 into a family of artisans. His father, Virgile, was a worker at the Salines de Dieuze, and his mother, Catherine, did some sewing. Emile was the couple's only child and grew up in Dieuze, surrounded by his friends, including Gustave Charpentier, and Madame Parisot, his adoptive "grandmother" who would become very important to the young man.
1870 marked a turning point for this family, who were forced to abandon their lands in order to retain their French nationality following the defeat of Napoleon III by Prussia. While Alsace and Moselle became German, Nancy remained French and welcomed the Friant family (september 1872). First housed near the market square, then near the current Museum Aquarium, the family found refuge in a house on rue Jeanne d'Arc, which also housed Virgile's ironwork workshop.

After attending the Callot boarding school (now the Loritz high school in Nancy), Emile decided to pursue a career in Fine Arts and took classes at the municipal drawing school under the guidance of Théodore Devilly (1818-1886). He frequented all the artistic youth of the time: Victor Prouvé (1858-1943), Camille Martin (1861-1898), Mathias Schiff (1862-1886) and Ernest Bussière (1863-1913).
In 1879, the young Emile (aged 16) was accepted into the prestigious studio of Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1889) at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. The prestigious studio nonetheless remained a supporter of Academicism, and the young artist did not find what he was looking for there. He left what he would call the "hothouse where Prix de Rome winners are grown." He attempted the Prix de Rome and came second in 1883.
In addition to this "classical" training, he also received on-the-job training through travel. A scholarship recipient in 1886, Friant began his travels in Northern Europe (Belgium and the Netherlands), where the masters of Flemish meticulousness would remain in his memory. He also discovered the South, with the Italian, Algerian, and Tunisian lands. Light would remain a crucial element in his future painting (like his contemporary and compatriot, Jules Bastien-Lepage).

His career really began at the Paris Salon of 1889 with the presentation of his masterpiece: All Saints' Day (1888). Purchased by the State, the painting is now deposited at the Museum of Fine Arts in Nancy (as is the legacy of Friant's studios). At 26, Friant found himself propelled onto the international scene and entered the order of the Legion of Honor. Covered with honor, he was made Officer then Commander (1932), he was elected to the Institute (Academy of Fine Arts) in 1898, Friant remained an artist and received numerous private commissions (genre scenes, portraits) and some public commissions (Nancy Town Hall, Prefecture of Meurthe). Painter, draftsman, Friant ended his career excelling in engraving. He was also a professor at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and trained several artists (notably Jean Scherbeck from Nancy).

He died at his Parisian home, 11 boulevard de Clichy, on June 9, 1932. He was 69 years old. Important honors were paid both in Paris and in Nancy, where the artist was buried in its Préville cemetery (Vogin-Friant chapel).