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Paul-Adolphe Rajon (1843 – 8 June 1888) was a French painter and printmaker, who started his career as a photographer.
avictorian.com, accessed 28 November 2020 In 1857, Paul Rajon began to work for Pierre Joseph Meurisse, a photographer in
A friend of Philippe Burty,
p. 381
/ref> He died on 8 June 1888 at
File:Félix Bracquemond by Paul Rajon.jpg, Portrait of
Rajon at the Centre for Whistler Studies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajon, Paul-Adolphe 19th-century French etchers French printmakers 19th-century French painters French male painters Artists from Dijon 1843 births 1888 deaths 19th-century French male artists
Early life
Born atDijon
Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...
, Rajon was the third child of Jean Marie Rajon, a hairdresser, by his marriage with Caroline Jaugey, a shop girl some thirty years younger. They had a daughter, Marguerite, born in 1839, and another son, Charles Henri, born in 1840.PAUL-ADOLPHE RAJONavictorian.com, accessed 28 November 2020 In 1857, Paul Rajon began to work for Pierre Joseph Meurisse, a photographer in
Metz
Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...
who had married his sister Marguerite, as a retoucher of portraits. From 1859 to 1860 he attended an art course given by Auguste Migette at the school of design in Metz, befriending another student, . In 1862, having saved a little money, Rajon went to Paris, aiming to pursue his career as a retoucher and also to deepen his study of painting. There, he and Boilvin were accepted as students at the École des Beaux-Arts
; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...
and were taught by Isidore-Alexandre-Augustin Pils.
Career
A friend of Philippe Burty, Félix Bracquemond
Félix Henri Bracquemond (; 22 May 1833 – 29 October 1914) was a French painter, etcher, and printmaker. He played a key role in the revival of printmaking, encouraging artists such as Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas and Camille Pissarro to use ...
, and Louis-Charles-Auguste Steinheil, Rajon was awarded medals at the Paris Salon
The Salon (), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art event in the Western world. At the ...
s of 1869, 1870, and 1873, and at the ''Exposition Universelle'' of 1878.
During the Franco-German War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Jan ...
of 1870, Rajon enlisted in the National Guard
National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards.
...
battalion Tirailleurs de la Seine and saw active service in fighting at La Malmaison.
Rajon enjoyed a long and healthy career in Great Britain. He etched both contemporary works and Old Masters, as well as portraits, including ones of Ivan Turgenev
Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev ( ; rus, links=no, Иван Сергеевич ТургеневIn Turgenev's day, his name was written ., p=ɪˈvan sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ tʊrˈɡʲenʲɪf; – ) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, poe ...
, Théophile Gautier
Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier ( , ; 30 August 1811 – 23 October 1872) was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and art and literary critic.
While an ardent defender of Romanticism, Gautier's work is difficult to classify and rema ...
, John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, politician and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of liberalism and social liberalism, he contributed widely to s ...
, Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...
, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of ...
. He was critically praised in France, Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
, and the United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, through his acquaintance with the New York-based American print dealer Frederick Keppel.
Rajon suffered a wasting illness, during which he was looked after by a British friend, Frank Dicey.“Twelve etchings contributed to the ‘Portfolio’ by Paul Adolphe Rajon: with Memoir and Notes by F. G. Stephens”, in ''The Athenæum: A Journal of Literature, Science, the Fine Arts, Music, and the Drama'', No. 3204, March 23, 1889p. 381
/ref> He died on 8 June 1888 at
Auvers-sur-Oise
Auvers-sur-Oise (, "Auvers-on-Oise (river), Oise") is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Val-d'Oise, on the northwestern outskirts of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. I ...
, of pneumonia
Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
.
Selected works
Félix Bracquemond
Félix Henri Bracquemond (; 22 May 1833 – 29 October 1914) was a French painter, etcher, and printmaker. He played a key role in the revival of printmaking, encouraging artists such as Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas and Camille Pissarro to use ...
(1878)
File:Paul Adolphe Rajon - Portrait of Henry Walters - Walters 372545.jpg, portrait of Henry Walters
Henry Walters (September 26, 1848 – November 30, 1931) was noted as an art collector and philanthropist, a founder of the Walters Art Gallery (now the Walters Art Museum) in Baltimore, Maryland, which he donated to the city in his 1931 will f ...
, 1886.
File:Paul Adolphe Rajon - Portrait of William T Walters - Walters 372542.jpg, portrait of William T. Walters, 1887.
References
Further reading
*Robert J. Wickenden, "Paul Adolphe Rajon (1842–1888)" in ''The Print-Collector’s Quarterly'', Vol. VI, Part 2 (December 1916), pp. 410–34External links
Rajon at the Centre for Whistler Studies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajon, Paul-Adolphe 19th-century French etchers French printmakers 19th-century French painters French male painters Artists from Dijon 1843 births 1888 deaths 19th-century French male artists