Constantin Guys (born Ernest-Adolphe Guys de Saint-Hélène, December 3, 1802 – December 13, 1892) was a French Crimean War correspondent, water color painter and illustrator for British and French newspapers.

Biography

Guys was born and baptized in Vlissingen, the son of François Lazare Guys and his second wife, Elisabeth Bétin. His father had been appointed civilian chief of the French Navy in

Rochefort Rochefort () may refer to: Places France * Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department ** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard * Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department * Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...

in 1795 and was stationed in Vlissingen from 1800 until 1806, after which the family moved to

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

. At the age of 20, Constantin served in the cavalry, but only a little later toured in Greece with Lord Byron. His career as an artist didn't start until he was about 40.

Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticism inherited fro ...

called him the "painter of modern life," and wrote a long essay on Guys in which he extensively praised his works, under the pseudonym "Monsieur G". Robert de Montesquiou wrote a review of Guys that acknowledged Baudelaire's essay, compared Guys favorably to Whistler, and emphasized his portrayal of details of women's clothing, and horse carriages. His subjects were Second French Empire life. In the Dutch novel "Au pair" by

W. F. Hermans Willem Frederik Hermans (1 September 1921 – 27 April 1995) was a Dutch author of poetry, novels, short stories, plays, as well as book-length studies, essays, and literary criticism. His most famous works are ''The House of Refuge'' (novella, ...

, one of the main characters is fascinated by Constantin Guys. Guys died in Paris, aged 90.

Works

* ''Les Champs Élysées'', 1922, Pavillon de Marsan du musée du Louvre, ''L'Illustration'' n°4123, 10/06/1922. * ''Promenade en carosse'', 1863 ca., plume, encre, aquarel sur papier beige, 255 x 339 mm, Museo Cantonale d'Arte de LuganoMuseo Cantonale d'Arte, Lugano: Constantin Ernest Adolphe Guys
/ref> File:Constantin Guys - Man on Horseback - Google Art Project.jpg, Man on Horseback File:Constantin-Guys-rencontre-la-promenade.jpg, Meeting on the Promenade Constantin-Ernest-Adolphe-Hyacinthe Guys 001.jpg, The Loge at the Opera File:Constantin Guys - Young Spanish Girl - Google Art Project.jpg, Young Spanish Woman

References

Sources

Artcyclopedia article on Constantin Guys

Merriam-Webster's Biographical Dictionary. Merriam-Webster Incorporated, 1995. in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2007. Document Number: K1681154772. Online. November 6, 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guys, Constantin 1802 births 1892 deaths 19th-century French painters 19th-century war artists French male painters French war artists French war correspondents French watercolourists French philhellenes in the Greek War of Independence People from Vlissingen 19th-century French male artists

Biography

Works

References

Further reading

Sources