Paul Merwart, or Paweł Merwart (25 March 1855, Marianivka,

Kherson Governorate The Kherson Governorate (1802–1922; russian: Херсонская губерния, translit.: ''Khersonskaya guberniya''; uk, Херсонська губернія, translit=Khersonska huberniia), was an administrative territorial unit (als ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

– 8 May 1902,

Saint-Pierre, Martinique Saint-Pierre (, ; ; Martinican Creole: ) is a town and commune of France's Caribbean overseas department of Martinique, founded in 1635 by Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc. Before the total destruction of Saint-Pierre by a volcanic eruption in 1902, ...

), was a Polish-French illustrator and painter; mostly of portraits and

genre Genre () is any form or type 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 for ...

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 from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

. He was raised in Lemberg, then

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...

, now

. At first, he studied technical subjects in Graz. 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 ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second- ...

(1877), and finally to Paris, where he enrolled at the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centur ...

(1877–1884), completing his studies with

Henri Lehmann Henri Lehmann (; 14 April 1814 – 30 March 1882) was a German-born French historical painter and portraitist. Life Born Heinrich Salem Lehmann in Kiel, in the Duchy of Holstein, he received his first art tuition from his father Leo Lehmann ( ...

and

Isidore Pils Isidore-Alexandre-Augustin Pils (1815–1875) was a French academic painter of religious and military subjects. Biography Pils was born in Paris as the son of a soldier François Pils. At the age of twelve, he studied with Guillaume Guillon-Le ...

. He had his first showing at the Salon in 1879. During his time there, he worked for ''

Le Monde Illustré ''Le Monde illustré'' (title translation: ''The Illustrated World'') was a leading illustrated news magazine in France which was published from 1857–1940 and again from 1945 to 1956. It was in many ways similar to its contemporary English ...

'', ''

L'Illustration ''L'Illustration'' was a weekly French newspaper published in Paris from 1843 to 1944. It was founded by Édouard Charton with the first issue published on 4 March 1843, it became the first illustrated newspaper in France then, after 1906, the ...

'' 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,

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...

, Sudan, Kongo,

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

, Mauretania,

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

, 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 ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...

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

Mount Pelée Mount Pelée or Mont Pelée ( ; french: Montagne Pelée, ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Montann Pèlé, meaning "bald mountain" or "peeled mountain") is an active volcano at the northern end of Martinique, an island and French overseas departmen ...

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

Forest of Fontainebleau The forest of Fontainebleau (french: Forêt de Fontainebleau, or ''Forêt de Bière'', meaning "forest of heather") is a mixed deciduous forest lying southeast of Paris, France. It is located primarily in the arrondissement of Fontainebleau ...

, 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 Emigrants from the Russian Empire to France 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