Henri-Joseph HARPIGNIES (Valenciennes, 1819 – Saint-Privé, 1916)

Provenance:
• France, Private Collection.

Bibliography:
• Jean-Pierre Cappoen, Henri Harpignies, 1819-1916: peindre la nature, exh. cat. Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, Museum of the Loire, June 4th – November 26th, 2016.

Henri-Joseph Harpignies started his career as a traveling salesman before devoting himself at the age of 27 to his passion for art by taking lessons from the landscape painter Jean Achard (1807-1884).

Captivated by Italy which he visited twice, he immersed himself in the tranquility of the Roman countryside which was the subject of most of his works from these travels. Upon returning to Paris, his talent was acclaimed at his first exhibition at the 1853 Salon on account of an open-air painting entitled View of Capri. Subsequently he won several prizes and medals by which he carved out a prominent place for himself among the landscape painters of his generation. Harpignies deeply admired the painters of the 1830s school, especially Corot whom he considered his master and who largely inspired him at the beginning, until he gradually developed his own style, expressing his personality through delicate works which delighted perceptive viewers.

As of 1850, Harpignies did watercolors which became his favorite means of expression and enabled him to convey Nature’s variations according to the seasons. More known for his naturalist landscapes, Harpignies nonetheless produced some Parisian views and studied the city’s appearance at different times of day. Our view of the Luxembourg Gardens is an excellent example.

Halfway between painting and drawing, the watercolor technique let him handle the urban landscape atmospherically through the use of wash and very diluted colors. Nature is always present in Harpignies’ views. It is illustrated here with finesse through the different chromatic green nuances depicting blossoming trees on the left part of the composition. The work seems to have been sketched from life in the springtime.

On the right side of the composition, Luxembourg Palace stands out distinctly against a clear blue sky, while the two towers of the Church of Saint Sulpice can be perceived in the left background. In this view, the artist transcribes a garden which seems suspended in time with a calm tranquil air cadenced by the depiction of figures rendered in fine black watercolor touches.

In the course of the 19th century, the practice of outdoor drawn and painted sketches was very common in Europe. Outdoor painting enabled the artist to practice from reality: weather conditions and perpetually shifting light required excellent mastery of drawing and color. More ambitious compositions came out of this production of sketches.

An excellent draughtsman, Harpignies encountered lively success as a watercolorist when he exhibited at the New Watercolour Society in London. Nicknamed in his lifetime as the “Michelangelo of Trees,” the artist fascinated his audience with the quiet peacefulness emanating from his work and permeating each of his pictures, whether they were sketches, watercolors, or paintings.

Probably conserved in the artist’s personal collection, this study, like most of the others, was not destined either to be exhibited or sold. Essential resources for creating, these sketches made it possible to rework his pictures in the studio and instantly rediscover the freshness and spontaneity of a specific moment.

M.O.
transl. chr