Henri Paul Royer
An elegant portrait of a woman in an evening gown, in soft, harmonious colors, circa 1930, by the painter Henri, Paul Royer; entitled “le sphinx” when it was exhibited at the Salon.
Oil on canvas
Signed lower right.
Dimensions: 97 x 130 cm
With frame: 118 x 152 cm
Old exhibition label dated 1935 on the back
Exhibited at the Paris Salon under the title “Le sphinx”.
The famous photographer Albert Harlingue (1879-1964 ) photographed Henri Royer in his studio, painting this picture with his model.
See link:
https://www.galerie-roger-viollet.fr/fr/photo-henri-royer-1869-1938-peintre-francais-et-son-341095-3607410890
Women are a recurring theme in the paintings of Henri, Paul Royer
Here, a bird’s-eye view of a sofa where the elegant woman lounges, welcomed by soft cushions and shimmering fabrics. Her long, gauzy, turquoise-blue evening gown, in taffeta and tulle, covers the entire sofa, bringing plenty of light to the painting.
His drawing is precise, his color harmonies measured and harmonious.
Biography
Genre painter, portraitist and landscape artist Henri Paul Royer was born in Nancy. He is the son of Jules Royer, founder of one of Nancy’s most important lithographic printing works.
Immersed in the art world, Royer entered the Nancy School of Fine Arts, where he met Émile Friant. He studied with Antoine Vierling and Louis-Théodore Devilly, and exhibited his first works at the Salon de Nancy.
These early successes prompted his parents and teachers to encourage a study trip to the Netherlands in the company of Emile Friant, who was to exert a major influence on him.
On his return in 1888, he enrolled at the Académie Julian in Paris, where he studied with Jules Joseph Lefebvre and Gustave Boulanger.
In 1890, he made his Salon debut with a painting entitled “Le Vagabond”, for which he received an honorable mention.
He won several awards, including a gold medal at the Fine Arts Exhibition for Emperor Franz Joseph’s Jubilee in Vienna, and a silver medal at the 1900 Universal Exhibition.
He traveled to South and North America, where he had spent many years, and toured Europe.
His trip to Brittany in 1896 left a deep impression on him, and for the rest of his life, Royer painted Breton subjects.
He was made a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 1900.
In 1901, he was offered the directorship of the women’s studio at the Académie Julian, which he accepted.
A teacher at the Académie Julian in Paris and the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, Henri Royer counted many students in his studio.
In 1906, he took part in decorating the Villa Majorelle in Nancy.
During the First World War, Henri Royer joined the camouflage section of the 1st Engineer Regiment on November 1, 1916.
He died in Neuilly-sur-Seine on October 31, 1938.
In 2008, an exhibition was organized in Audierne to pay tribute to the painter.
Bibliography
– Réunion des musées nationaux, L’École de Nancy, 1889-1909: Art nouveau et industries d’art, 1999,
– Gérald Schurr, 1820-1920, les petits maîtres de la peinture: valeur de demain, vol. 3, Éditions de l’Amateur, 1986.
– Conseil des musées nationaux, Revue du Louvre: the journal of the museums of France,
– Société lorraine des amis des arts, “Nos exposants : Henri Royer”, Bulletin des sociétés artistiques de l’Est, Imprimerie coopérative de l’Est, no. 1, January 1903,
– Maurice Garçot, “Henri Royer”, Le Pays lorrain, Nancy, Berger-Levrault, no. 7, July 1939
– Gabriel Weisberg and Karal Ann Marling, Montmartre and the Making of Mass Culture, London, Rutgers University Press, 2001, 296 pages.
Museums
France
– Paris, Musée du Louvre; Musée d’Orsay.
– Nancy, Musée des Beaux-Arts – Nymph (1893)
– Quimper, Museum of Fine Arts
– Brest, Musée des Beaux-Arts
Brazil
– Rio de Janeiro, Museum of Fine Arts :
