Léon Gaucherel (21 May 1816,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

– 7 January 1886, Paris) was a French painter and etcher.

Biography

He learned art from his childhood friend,

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (; 27 January 181417 September 1879) was a French architect and author, famous for his restoration of the most prominent medieval landmarks in France. His major restoration projects included Notre-Dame de Paris, ...

, whom he accompanied to Sicily from 1836 to 1837. His first major works were illustrations for a project to restore Notre-Dame, proposed by his friend and

Jean-Baptiste Lassus Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Lassus (19 March 1807 – 15 July 1857) was a French architect who became an expert in restoration or recreation of medieval architecture. He was a strong believer in the early Gothic architecture style, which he thought as a ...

in 1843. The following year, he began to master the art of

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other type ...

. Over time, he went from producing original engravings to making reproductions of works by other artists. By 1858, the transition was complete and he began creating illustrations for magazines; notably the ''

Gazette des Beaux-Arts The ''Gazette des Beaux-Arts'' was a French art review, founded in 1859 by Édouard Houssaye, with Charles Blanc as its first chief editor. Assia Visson Rubinstein was chief editorial secretary under the direction of George Wildenstein from 1 ...

'' and the ''Annales Archéologiques'', where he depicted decorative architectural details. His work on the Gazette, together with his fellow printmaker

Léopold Flameng Léopold Flameng (22 November 1831, Brussels – 5 September 1911, Courgent) was a French engraver, illustrator and painter. Biography His parents were from France, and he began his artistic studies in Paris with Luigi Calamatta and Jean Gigoux. ...

, helped to establish that publication's reputation. He was an active member of the and, in 1864, was named a Knight in the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

.Documentation
@ the Base Leonore In 1866 he created a large album of

still-life A still life (: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or human-made (drinking glasses, books, ...

s to promote etching, which was still considered to be more of a craft than an art. The latest techniques were introduced in an exhibition at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

. In 1875, he became the Artistic Director for the weekly revue, ', founded by . During his tenure, he recruited several engravers to be permanent staff members. Among the most popular was . In addition to his creative activities, he also took numerous students, including

Victor Gustave Lhuillier Victor Gustave Lhuillier (19 April 1844 – July 1889) was a French engraver and etcher. Life and work Born at Altkirch, Alsace, which was then in France, he studied art in Lyon and was a pupil of Léon Gaucherel (1816–1886). "LHUILLIER (Victo ...

, Louis Monzies, Edmond Ramus, and Adolphe Lalauze. The museum of art and history in

Sainte-Menehould Sainte-Menehould (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Marne (department), Marne Departments of France, department in north-eastern France. The 18th-century French playwright Charles-Georges Fenouillot de Falbaire de Quingey (1727–1800) ...

has preserved many of his original plates.

Selected works

File:Hennebont église par léon gaucherel 1.jpg, File:Le faouët Saint Fiacre jubé lithographie.jpg, The File:Ste-Anne-La-Palud-f1.highres.jpg, Fountain of Sainte-Anne-la-Palud,

Plonévez-Porzay Plonévez-Porzay (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. Population Inhabitants of Plonévez-Porzay are called in French ''Plonévéziens''. See also *Communes of the Finistère department The ...

File:Architectural details of the roof of Beaune hospital, includ Wellcome V0012207.jpg, The roof of the

Hospices de Beaune The Hospices de Beaune or Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune is a former charitable almshouse in Beaune, France. It was founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy, as a hospital for the poor. The original hospital building, the Hôtel-Dieu, one ...

File:Gaucherel-Sentinel.jpg, The Sentinel
(after

Meissonier Meissonier or Meissonnier is the name of several people: * Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier (; 21 February 181531 January 1891) was a French Academic art, academic painter and sculpture, sculptor. He became famous for h ...

)

References

External links

Léon Gaucherel 1816–1886
at

Harvard Art Museums The Harvard Art Museums are part of Harvard University and comprise three museums: the Fogg Museum (established in 1895), the Busch-Reisinger Museum (established in 1903), and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum (established in 1985), and four research ...

Catalogue de la collection Gaucherel
(1886), @ Gallica {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaucherel Léon 1816 births 1886 deaths 19th-century French engravers 19th-century French male artists 19th-century French painters Artists from Paris