DOI Heft:
No. 144 (February, 1908)
DOI Artikel:Frantz, Henri: Henri Harpignies: a review of his career
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.28256#0389
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constructed by Garnier ; with Louis Bouianger, the
romantic painter dear to Victor Hugo, and to whom
we owe, among other things, the spiendid portrait
of Baizac in the picture gaiiery of Tours. It was
during this visit that Harpignies came to know the
admirabie Roman Campagna, which inspired him to
so many hne efforts ; there, too, he iearned to paint
those truthfu! tones of iand and of water, and to draw
his trees with such accuracy of structure; for his
knowiedge of the architecture of the forest is one
of the painter's sovereign gifts—indeed, it is often
iike a second signature to his work, just as that dead
tree with leaning trunk reveais to the connoisseur
the hand of Louis Moreau, even in his smaiiest
iandscape. So Harpignies worked fuli of ardour in
the Roman Campagna. It would seem that he did
not send to the Salons, or at any rate found no
admittance there, for none of the cataiogues of the
period contains the artist's name. This was above
aii a period of triai which was destined to produce
fruit later when the artist exhibited in the Salons so
many loveiy souvenirs—admirabiy painted, whether
in oiis or in water-colours—of the Tiber, the
Aibine Hiiis, the Sabine, Napies and its neighbour-
hood. There are in existence, however, severai
hnished pictures of this period. MM. Arnoid and
Tripp teii me they have seen some dated 1845.
For my own part I know a charming iittie iand-
scape, ambered and iuminous, dating from 1847.
It is in the coiiection of a Parisian a77M%%7*, and
represents a river winding through a scene of
simpie iines, with great ciumps of trees such as
one sees in Umbria. The sky, lightiy rose-tinted,
is somewhat suggestive of Ciaude Geliee. The
fact is indubitabie that Harpignies, whiie he was
connected very intimately with the Barbizon
Schooi, and must therefore be dehniteiy ciassed as
the great pupii of Corot, has nevertheiess a certain
kinship with the ciassic masters of remoter times.
I wiil go so far as to say he is more nearly aiiied to
them than was Corot himseif, by reason of a
certain severity of style and his regard for the
composition of a great decorative In
his strict and admirabiy cadenced iines he avoided
the arabesques in which Corot deiighted. But
this is not the piace to draw a paraiiei between
Corot and Harpignies ; iet us return to the career
of the painter with whom we are immediateiy con-
cerned.
Henri Harpignies made his first appearance in
the Saion of 1853, where he exhibited a view
taken in the Isie of Capri (Guif of Napies) and
C,%d77M72 <r7*<77Av, a morning effect in the neighbour-
hood of Vaienciennes. In these two paintings
were already indicated ciearly the two sources of
inspiration to which Harpignies was destined to
" LE PETtT MUR " (WATER COLOUR)
fAy ^7*777 ;'jj/«77 a/*iM:777*7. C<7. /
258
BY HEXRI HARPIGNIE&
constructed by Garnier ; with Louis Bouianger, the
romantic painter dear to Victor Hugo, and to whom
we owe, among other things, the spiendid portrait
of Baizac in the picture gaiiery of Tours. It was
during this visit that Harpignies came to know the
admirabie Roman Campagna, which inspired him to
so many hne efforts ; there, too, he iearned to paint
those truthfu! tones of iand and of water, and to draw
his trees with such accuracy of structure; for his
knowiedge of the architecture of the forest is one
of the painter's sovereign gifts—indeed, it is often
iike a second signature to his work, just as that dead
tree with leaning trunk reveais to the connoisseur
the hand of Louis Moreau, even in his smaiiest
iandscape. So Harpignies worked fuli of ardour in
the Roman Campagna. It would seem that he did
not send to the Salons, or at any rate found no
admittance there, for none of the cataiogues of the
period contains the artist's name. This was above
aii a period of triai which was destined to produce
fruit later when the artist exhibited in the Salons so
many loveiy souvenirs—admirabiy painted, whether
in oiis or in water-colours—of the Tiber, the
Aibine Hiiis, the Sabine, Napies and its neighbour-
hood. There are in existence, however, severai
hnished pictures of this period. MM. Arnoid and
Tripp teii me they have seen some dated 1845.
For my own part I know a charming iittie iand-
scape, ambered and iuminous, dating from 1847.
It is in the coiiection of a Parisian a77M%%7*, and
represents a river winding through a scene of
simpie iines, with great ciumps of trees such as
one sees in Umbria. The sky, lightiy rose-tinted,
is somewhat suggestive of Ciaude Geliee. The
fact is indubitabie that Harpignies, whiie he was
connected very intimately with the Barbizon
Schooi, and must therefore be dehniteiy ciassed as
the great pupii of Corot, has nevertheiess a certain
kinship with the ciassic masters of remoter times.
I wiil go so far as to say he is more nearly aiiied to
them than was Corot himseif, by reason of a
certain severity of style and his regard for the
composition of a great decorative In
his strict and admirabiy cadenced iines he avoided
the arabesques in which Corot deiighted. But
this is not the piace to draw a paraiiei between
Corot and Harpignies ; iet us return to the career
of the painter with whom we are immediateiy con-
cerned.
Henri Harpignies made his first appearance in
the Saion of 1853, where he exhibited a view
taken in the Isie of Capri (Guif of Napies) and
C,%d77M72 <r7*<77Av, a morning effect in the neighbour-
hood of Vaienciennes. In these two paintings
were already indicated ciearly the two sources of
inspiration to which Harpignies was destined to
" LE PETtT MUR " (WATER COLOUR)
fAy ^7*777 ;'jj/«77 a/*iM:777*7. C<7. /
258
BY HEXRI HARPIGNIE&