Henri Joseph HARPIGNIES

Henri Joseph Harpignies was born on July 28, 1819 in Valenciennes and died on August 28, 1916 in Saint-Privé in the department of Yonne. He was a renowned French painter who specialized in landscape and genre painting.

Harpignies’ family originally came from Belgium. After giving up his job as a traveling salesman in 1848, he devoted himself increasingly to painting and was taught by the landscape painter Jean Alexis Achard (1807-1884). Between 1850 and 1852, he traveled extensively through Germany and the Netherlands to Italy, where he studied at the Academy in Rome.

After his return in 1852, Harpignies set up his own studio in Paris. There he met up-and-coming artists such as Jean-Léon Gérôme and Jean-Louis Hamon. He made his debut at the Salon the following year with landscapes of Capri and his home town of Valenciennes. His fame grew particularly after his participation in the Salon of 1861 with the work “Forest on the banks of the Allier”. A second trip to Italy followed in 1863, which lasted until 1865 and had a lasting influence on his work.

In 1866, Harpignies received a medal for his painting “Evening in the Roman Campagna”, which was acquired by the Musée du Luxembourg. In his work, he continued the tradition of landscape painting initiated by Camille Corot. Several awards followed, including medals in 1868 and 1869 and the appointment of Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1875. He was awarded the Grand Prix at the Universal Exhibition in 1900.

From 1878, Harpignies lived in Saint-Privé, where he continued to work as a painter, graphic artist and watercolorist. His influential landscape paintings were strongly influenced by the Barbizon School. On his 97th birthday, he was able to look back on a full and successful life before he died a month later.