French engraving

A Brief History of French Printmaking.
The French school of printmaking is one of the most influential in Europe. Its history reflects the succession of artistic styles: from the strict classicism of the 17th century through the playful Rococo of the 18th century to the Romanticism and Realism of the 19th century. French masters perfected the art of reproductive engraving, learning to convey in black-and-white graphics all the richness of the original paintings.

The 17th Century: The Birth of a National School.

The beginning of the 17th century saw the emergence of the first great French engraver, Jacques Callot (1592–1635) . A native of Nancy, he is considered one of the first masters to work professionally in the etching technique. His virtuoso works demonstrated a radically new artistic vision and technical innovations. He is best known for his series "The Gypsies" and "The Miseries of War"—poignant, dramatic scenes that had a huge influence on all European graphic art.

In the second half of the 17th century, during the Age of Absolutism under Louis XIV, engraving took on grandiose, magnificent forms. This was the golden age of burin engraving, ideally suited for creating formal portraits and reproductions of historical paintings . The leading master of this period was Gérard Edelinck (1640–1707) , a Fleming by birth who worked in Paris. He left a complete gallery of formal portraits from the "Sun King's" era and his circle (about 200 works). The finest in his legacy is the "Portrait of the Artist Philippe de Champaigne," made after the painter's self-portrait.

The 18th Century: The Age of Galanterie and the Rise of Reproductive Engraving.

The 18th century was a time of triumph for French printmaking. Its main function remained reproductive, but it was in this field that the French achieved the most impressive results, combining technical perfection with a subtle understanding of the original's artistic structure.

The School of Burin Engraving. The task of translating a painting into an engraving, which operates only in black and white, required creative thought and technical ingenuity from the artist. Among the brilliant masters of this time were J.F. Le Bas, N. De Launay, and C.N. Cochin the Elder, who worked after originals by Poussin, Boucher, Watteau, and Fragonard.

The Drevet Dynasty. The pinnacle of portrait engraving was achieved by the Drevet family. Pierre Drevet the Elder (1663–1738) studied in Paris with the painter Rigaud and became an excellent draftsman. His portraits are distinguished by the purity and energy of the line, meticulous detail, and harmonious tonal gradations. His son, Pierre-Imbert Drevet the Younger (1697–1739), surpassed his father in skill and is considered one of the foremost representatives of the flourishing period of engraving in France. His portraits represent the height of perfection in terms of drawing accuracy, confident burin work, and rendering of textures.

The Crayon Manner. An important innovation was the invention of a technique imitating chalk drawings. It is associated with the name of Jean-Charles François (1717–1769) . In 1757, he created the series "The Love of Drawing, or A Course in Drawing in the Crayon Manner," reproducing drawings by Boucher, Van Loo, and Vien. The technique was so successful that King Louis XV appointed François "Engraver of the King's Cabinet of Drawings".

Publishers and Collectors. Pierre-François Basan (1723–1797) was not only an engraver but also a major publisher, art historian, and author of the three-volume "Dictionary of Engravers" (1767). His workshop produced over a thousand engravings, and in 1786 he acquired 76 original copper plates of Rembrandt's etchings, publishing facsimiles of them .

The 19th Century: Romanticism, Lithography, and the Golden Age of Illustration.

The 19th century marked the final ascent of classical burin engraving, which could not keep pace with the new accelerated pace of life and gave way to lithography. However, it was during this period that the greatest illustrator of all time was active.

Gustave Doré (1832–1883) - a phenomenal phenomenon in the history of graphic art. At the age of ten, he produced illustrations for Dante's "Divine Comedy," and by 15, he was a salaried staff artist for a journal . Doré is called the greatest illustrator of the 19th century for his unparalleled play of light and shadow in his graphic works. His work capacity was astounding: in his short life, he illustrated over one hundred books, including "Gargantua and Pantagruel," Perrault's fairy tales, "Don Quixote," and the Bible . His engravings became the benchmark for book illustration.

Masters of Lithography. At the turn of the century, Paul Gavarni (1804 –1866), with his witty scenes of Parisian life, and Louis-Eugène Mouchon (1843–1914) , a major Art Nouveau engraver who created the famous "Marianne the Sower" for French postage stamps, were prominent . In 1903, Mouchon was invited to Russia to create stamp designs featuring Emperor Nicholas II.