Artwork
Collège Henri IV, Paris, ou Lycée Napoléon (Henry IV College or Napoleon School, Paris)
Collège Henri IV, Paris, ou Lycée Napoléon (Henry IV College or Napoleon School, Paris) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Charles Meryon. It dates from 1864 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Collège Henri IV, Paris, ou Lycée Napoléon is an etching on laid paper created by Charles Meryon in 1864. It is part of a series of Parisian views that showcase the artist's skill in capturing the city's architectural character.
Subject & Meaning
The etching depicts a bustling Parisian street scene centered around a large school building. The composition includes a riverbank with people and boats, conveying a sense of activity and daily life in 19th-century Paris.
Technique & Style
Meryon's use of fine, varied lines creates a detailed and nuanced representation of light and shadow. The etching technique allows for a range of tonal values, from deep blacks to subtle, almost erased areas suggesting reflections or atmospheric effects.
Context
As a French etcher with a 'Gothic vision of Paris', Meryon's work reflects his fascination with the city's architecture. His series of Paris views is considered among his most significant contributions to the art of etching.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles Meryon (sometimes Méryon, 23 November 1821 – 14 February 1868) was a French artist who worked almost entirely in etching, as he had colour blindness.
L'ancien Louvre d'après une peinture de Zeeman, 1651 (The Old Louvre, from a Painting by Zeeman, l651)
L'ancien Louvre d'après une peinture de Zeeman, 1651 (The Old Louvre, from a Painting by Zeeman, 1651)
Paris
Mestre
Preparatory drawing for a Panorama of Paris from the Seine
Rouen
The Algerian Palace at the Trocadero