Paul Merwart, or Paweł Merwart (25 March 1855, Marianovka, Kherson Governorate,

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

– 8 May 1902, Saint-Pierre, Martinique), was a Polish-French illustrator and painter; mostly of portraits and

genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

scenes, inspired by literature, the Bible, and music.

Biography

His mother was Polish and his father was a French soldier who was serving in the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

. He was raised in

Lemberg Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

, then

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

, now

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. At first, he studied technical subjects in

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

. After being wounded in a duel, he went to recuperate in Italy.Brief biography
@ Agra Art. While there, he decided to pursue an artistic career instead. He began his studies in Vienna and Munich (1876), then went to

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

(1877), and finally to Paris, where he enrolled 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 ...

(1877–1884), completing his studies with Henri Lehmann and Isidore Pils. He had his first showing 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 1879. During his time there, he worked for '' Le Monde Illustré'', '' L'Illustration'' and '' L'Univers illustré''. He also served as a correspondent in Russia and Austria. After graduating, he became a French citizen and settled in Paris. In 1896, thanks to the influence of his brother , a prominent colonial administrator, he was appointed official painter for the "Ministère de la Marine et des Colonies". In this position, he made trips to the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

, Kongo,

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

Mauretania Mauretania (; ) is the Latin name for a region in the ancient Maghreb. It extended from central present-day Algeria to the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, encompassing northern present-day Morocco, and from the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean in the ...

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

, and Guiana. As would be expected, his works increasingly came to focus on exotic themes. In April 1902, he accompanied a government commission to investigate volcanic activity on

Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...

. In May, he was one of almost 30,000 people killed when

Mount Pelée Mount Pelée or Mont Pelée ( ; , ; ), meaning "bald mountain" or "peeled mountain" in French, is an active volcano at the northern end of Martinique, an island and French overseas department in the Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc of the Caribbean ...

suddenly erupted, destroying the town of Saint-Pierre. A memorial plaque was placed in the

Forest of Fontainebleau The forest of Fontainebleau (, or , meaning, in old French, "forest of Ericaceae, heather") is a mixed deciduous forest lying southeast of Paris, France. It is located primarily in the arrondissement of Fontainebleau in the southwestern part of th ...

, where he often painted.

Gallery

File:Inauguration monument Mapa Paul Merwart.JPG, ''Inauguration at Cayenne Cemetery on 31 August 1901'' File:P merwart2.jpg, ''Parisian girl with a basket of flowers'' File:Paweł Merwart - Na huśtawce 1881.jpg, ''On a Swing'' (1881) File:Merwart-Nihilist.jpg, ''The Nihilist'' (1882)

References

External links

ArtNet: More works by Merwart."Les Disparus", Paul Merwart
@ Gallica {{DEFAULTSORT:Merwart, Paul 1855 births 1902 deaths People from Kherson Oblast People from Kherson Governorate Polish people of French descent Artists from Austria-Hungary French people of Polish descent 19th-century French painters French male painters 19th-century Polish painters Genre painters French illustrators French stamp designers Polish male painters 19th-century French male artists