Graphic Art of the Pre-impressionists

304 Pages·1981·83.59 MB·English

by  Michel Melot

~
OF THE
-IMPRESSION!^
O
1 ±\LJ X
BOUDIN • COROT • DAUBIGNY • DUPRE •JONGKIND • MILLET • Rf
Swiftly changing and often contrary currtnis lan
through the world ofthe graphic arts in the nine-
teenth century. Ihe earliest work reproduced in
this book is a lithograph of 1835 by Dupre, the
latest an etching by Boudin, published in 1899
shortly afterhisdeath. Between the two, remark-
abledevelopmentstookplace, fromthewayprims
wereperceived to the way they wereexecuted.
Thecompleteetchings, lithographs, andwood—-
—
cuts ofCamille Corot Jean-Franfois Millet—
Eugene Boudin—Johan Barthold Jongkind
—
Theodore Rousseau Charles-Francois Dau-
—
bigny andJules Dupre are reproduced in 359
meticulously printed illustrations, often full-page,
oftenactualsize,oftenreproducingmorethanone
state. Each work is completely catalogued.
Thetraditionoftheart-print, whichdatesback
to Albrc(ht Diirer. had by the early 1800s given
wa\ to the more practical craft of reproducing
paintings. Then along came photography, which
increasing;;. ' '' ''"ution T.ibprarcrl
fromthecareful realismano
.
quired by the reproduction-cngravmg, ariisii
again turned to the original art-print, bringingto
it the same concern with line, composition, and
nuance that theyaccorded theiroil paintings.
Thereproductionsinthisbookrunthegamutof
changes rung on the practice ofthe graphic arts.
Corotmade hisprintsforrelaxationorat theurg-
ingoffriends,butwasbasicallyuninterestedinthe
technicalchallengesofengraving. Hewasparticu-
larlyattractedtothecliche-verre, orglassplateprint,
whichhesketchedwithunusualfreedomandbold-
ness. One such work is simply labeled Scrawl.
Daubignv took up engraving to earn his living.
His early etchnigs arc mostly commissioned
works, illustrations, and reproductions of his
paintings. But by mid-century he began to make
original and powerful etchings such as his cele-
brated Tree with Crows. Millet, like Daubigny,
Rousseau, and Dupre a memberofthe Barbizon
School, setdownhisbelovedpeasantsinetchings,
lithographs,andwood—cuts.Thesearenotcopiesof
his famouscanvases —TheSower, TheDiggers, The
Gleaners, Goingto Work but different treatments,
'"'Mc forceful than the painted versions.
' (cnesandspare,clean
us.^ Ied the Impressionists,
grumbling]) n was not a printmaker, a
claim belied by his twcnt\- mar\elous etchings.
In hisexcellent introduction, Michel Melotex-
plains why the catalogues raisonnes in this book
arenotcut-and-dried affairs but arefull ofknotty
problems. The catalogues themselves, based on
the work ofLoys Delteil, tell us much about the
ail and artists of the period, in particular their
ionship to the commercial side ofart, a fas-
'^j'ct • 'ithwhich scholars rarely deal.
!ichelMelotiscuratorintheDepartementdes
i.stampes of the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris,
andeditor-in-chiefof.Vo?/i,rfcdeTestampe.
\
7/.
mi^\r'
DATE DUE
tP 2 Ol«
1 (f 1981

GRAPHIC ART OF THE PRE-IMPRESSIONISTS
MICHEL MELO
r ART THE
GRAPHIC OF
PRE-IMPRESSIONISTS
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY ROBERT ERICH WOLF
HARRY N. ABRAMS, INC., PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
toJean Adhemar
Editor: Lory Frankel
Libraryot'C^ongrcssCatalogingin Publication Data
Mclot, Michel.
Graphicartofthe pre-iinpressionists.
TranslationofLesgrandsgra\eurs.
Bibliography: p.25
Includesindex.
— —
1. Prints, French—. 2. Prints 19th century France.
3. Printmakers France. L Title.
NE647v3.M4413 769'.92'2 79-26418
ISBN 0-8109-0975-8
©1978Artset MetiersGraphiques, Paris
English translation © 1980 Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
Published in 1981 by HarryN. Abrams, Incorporated,
NewYork. All rightsreserved. Nopartofthecontentsofthi
bookmaybe reproduced without thewritten permissionof
thepublishers
Printedandbound inSwitzerland
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION TO THE CATALOGUE
7
NOTE CONCERNING GLASSPLATE PRINTS
21
BIBLIOGRAPHY
25
PLATES
eug£ne boudin
29
camille corot
33
charles-frangois daubigny
105
jules dupre
197
johanbartholdjongkind
205
jean-franqois millet
225
theodore rousseau
251
CATALOGUES
GUIDE TO THE CATALOGUES
256
EUGENE BOUDIN
257
CAMILLE COROT
257
CHARLES-FRANgOIS DAUBIGNY
267
JULES DUPRE 284
JOHAN BARTHOLDJONGKIND
285
JEAN-FRANQOIS MILLET
287
THEODORE ROUSSEAU
293
PHOTOGRAPHIC CREDITS
295
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
295
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ivy*
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CHARLES-FRANgOIS DAUBIGNY. Main Salon ofthe Galerie Durand-Ruel, frontispiece for Specimens les plus
brillants de I'ecole moderne, Paris, Durand-Rucl, 1845.