Henri Grévedon

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Henri Grévedon, lithograph by Achille Devéria

Henri Grévedon (actually Pierre-Louis-Henri Grévedon ; born October 17, 1776 in Paris ; † June 1, 1860 there ) was a French painter , lithographer and illustrator .

life and work

Henri Grévedon grew up in the Louvre , where his father was employed as the officier des gobelets du roi . So Grévedon was able to visit the artists who had opened their studios in the Louvre every day. The loss of his parents forced him to make an early living and he began to make copies that he sold well. Nonetheless, he did not succumb to the art of crafting, but kept an artistic goal in mind. The lessons he received in Jean-Baptiste Regnault's studio were very beneficial to him. With his qualification he dared to appear at the Paris art exhibition as early as 1798 . Since then he has appeared regularly with paintings until 1806.

Grévedon had already received the second medal as a 13-year-old boy. In 1804 he won a first class gold medal for his painting Achilles lands on the coast of Troy, which was exhibited in the Paris Salon . It was then assumed that the artist was referring to Napoleon Bonaparte's planned landing in England with this work . In 1806 he received the first prize for drawing after the torso. He applied for the Prix ​​de Rome in 1805 and 1806 without success.

Full of ambition Grevedon turned in 1806 to Russia where French and especially painters have often had found a rich field of their activity. He painted many paintings here, but mostly portraits, the study of which soon became his favorite subject. His death of Hector prompted the Imperial Academy in Saint Petersburg to appoint him an honorary member. On August 14, 1810, he married the actress Aimée Marie Sophie Louise Devin (1792–1864) in the St. Catherine Church of St. Petersburg , with whom he had three daughters and a son. His eldest daughter Henriette Louise Laure Grévedon (1814–1895) married the comedian François-Joseph Regnier on May 4, 1835 in Paris .

In 1812 Grévedon left Russia and went to Stockholm and from here to London , where he stayed until 1816 and worked primarily as a portrait miniaturist. Only now did he return to France.

At that time, a new branch of art in painting began to develop in his home country, namely lithography. Grévedon believed that he dedicated himself to this subject in order to increase his fame. He eagerly turned to the new task and soon became an excellent lithographic draftsman. In 1824 he exhibited his lithographic drawings and received the first class medal. From then until 1859 he sent the Paris Salon fairly regularly, and since 1846 again with paintings. In January 1832 he was made a Knight of the Legion of Honor . He died in Paris in 1860 at the age of 83.

Grévedon drew the heads of many celebrities of his time. His pencil was characterized by its softness and delicacy, which is why he was particularly good at portraits of women. Some of his lithographs were very successful. Of interest from his creative period from 1825 to 1845 are primarily his portraits of famous actresses and dancers such as Marie Taglioni , Fanny Elßler , Maria Malibran , Henriette Sontag , Léontine Fay , Lucile Grahn and Rachel . For this period, his work is very illuminating regarding the changes in women's fashion at the time.

Grévedon also created portraits of Pedro I and his wife Amalia of Brazil, Enfantins of the Simonists , Rossinis , Spontinis , Louis Philippes , Ludwigs, Grand Duke of Hesse and Queen Maria Amalia of France . He also painted Franziska von Rimini, surprised by her husband , a beautiful lithograph after Coupin, as well as:

  • The gallery of beauty , 1830
  • Époques remarquables de la vie de la femme , lithographic heads, Paris 1831
  • Vocabulaire des dames , portraits of women, 24 sheets, Paris 1831–33
  • Costumes des habitants de l'Île de Java et des possessions hollandaises dans l'Inde , 10 sheets, Paris 1832
  • Recueil de quelques portraits d'actrices des principaux théâtres de Paris , 24 sheets, 1830–33

literature

personal data
SURNAME Grévedon, Henri
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Grévedon, Pierre-Louis-Henri
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French painter, lithographer and illustrator
DATE OF BIRTH October 17, 1776
PLACE OF BIRTH Paris
DATE OF DEATH October 17, 1860
Place of death Paris