Léon Augustin Lhermitte
Encyclopedia
Léon Augustin Lhermitte (1844 – 1925) was a French realist
painter
and etcher whose primary subject matter was of rural scenes depicting the peasant worker.
He was born in Mont-Saint-Père
. A student of Lecoq de Boisbaudran
, he gained recognition after his show in the Paris Salon
in 1864.
His many awards include the French Legion of Honour (1884) and the Grand Prize at the Exposition Universelle
in 1889. Lhermitte died in Paris in 1925.
Lhermitte’s innovative use of pastel
s won him the admiration of his contemporaries.
Vincent Van Gogh
wrote that “If every month Le Monde Illustré
published one of his compositions ... it would be a great pleasure for me to be able to follow it. It is certain that for years I have not seen anything as beautiful as this scene by Lhermitte ... I am too preoccupied by Lhermitte this evening to be able to talk of other things.”
Lhermitte's etchings and paintings are housed in museums around the world including Boston
, Washington, Chicago
, Montreal
, Brussels
, Rheims, Paris, Moscow
and Florence
.
Realism (arts)
Realism in the visual arts and literature refers to the general attempt to depict subjects "in accordance with secular, empirical rules", as they are considered to exist in third person objective reality, without embellishment or interpretation...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and etcher whose primary subject matter was of rural scenes depicting the peasant worker.
He was born in Mont-Saint-Père
Mont-Saint-Père
Mont-Saint-Père is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-References:*...
. A student of Lecoq de Boisbaudran
Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran
Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran was a French artist and teacher.He was born in Paris. Boisbaudran was admitted in 1819 to the École des Beaux-Arts where he studied under Peyron and Guillon Lethière...
, he gained recognition after his show in the Paris Salon
Paris Salon
The Salon , or rarely Paris Salon , beginning in 1725 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Between 1748–1890 it was the greatest annual or biannual art event in the Western world...
in 1864.
His many awards include the French Legion of Honour (1884) and the Grand Prize at the Exposition Universelle
Exposition Universelle (1889)
The Exposition Universelle of 1889 was a World's Fair held in Paris, France from 6 May to 31 October 1889.It was held during the year of the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, an event traditionally considered as the symbol for the beginning of the French Revolution...
in 1889. Lhermitte died in Paris in 1925.
Lhermitte’s innovative use of pastel
Pastel
Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation....
s won him the admiration of his contemporaries.
Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
wrote that “If every month Le Monde Illustré
Le Monde Illustré
Le Monde illustré was a leading 19th century illustrated newsmagazine in France. Many of its highly realistic drawings were actually made from photographs, at a time when photographic reproduction in print was not technically feasible....
published one of his compositions ... it would be a great pleasure for me to be able to follow it. It is certain that for years I have not seen anything as beautiful as this scene by Lhermitte ... I am too preoccupied by Lhermitte this evening to be able to talk of other things.”
Lhermitte's etchings and paintings are housed in museums around the world including Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Washington, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Rheims, Paris, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
.