François-Nicolas Chifflart (21 March 1825 – 19 March 1901) was a French painter, illustrator and etcher.

Biography

He was born in

Saint-Omer Saint-Omer (; ; Picard: ''Saint-Onmé'') is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France. It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Sa ...

. His father was a locksmith who was also known for his skill as a carver and worked for Louis Fiolet, a notable manufacturer of

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed Vitrification#Ceramics, nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids ...

tobacco pipes. He introduced his son to printmaking. François began studying at the municipal school of design at an early age. In 1844, he entered 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 ...

and became a student of Léon Cogniet. He took third place in the competition for the

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

in 1850 for his painting ''Zénobie sur les bords de l'Araxe'' (''

Zenobia Septimia Zenobia (Greek: Ζηνοβία, Palmyrene Aramaic: , ; 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. Many legends surround her ancestry; she was probably not a commoner, and she married the ruler of the ...

on the Banks of the Aras'') then, the following year, was awarded first placeExhibition notes
@ the Musée d'Orsay. for ''Périclès au lit de mort de son fils'' (''

Pericles Pericles (; ; –429 BC) was a Greek statesman and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Ancient Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War, and was acclaimed ...

at the Deathbed of His Son''). Shortly after, he rebelled against the

Academicism Academic art, academicism, or academism, is a style of painting and sculpture produced under the influence of European academies of art. This method extended its influence throughout the Western world over several centuries, from its origins i ...

of the time, focusing more on designing and engraving. His illustrations for ''

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

'' were especially notable and were praised by

Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet, essayist, translator and art critic. His poems are described as exhibiting mastery of rhythm and rhyme, containing an exoticism inherited from the Romantics, an ...

. Later, he made the acquaintance of

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

and began a new career as an illustrator in 1867. He helped design illustrations for Hugo's '' Toilers of the Sea'' (engraved by Fortuné Méaulle) and a new edition of ''

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame ''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (, originally titled ''Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482'') is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. The title refers to the Notre-Dame Cathedral, which features prominently throughout the novel. I ...

''. He lost most of his clientele when he began to harshly criticize

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

during the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

,Biographical notes
@ the Saint-Omer website. and sank into an oblivion from which he never fully recovered. Despite this, a street in Saint-Omer has been named after him. He died in 1901 in Paris.

Selected works

File:Chifflart - Das Gewissen - 1877.jpeg, ''Conscience'', from
''

La Légende des siècles ''La Légende des siècles'' (, ) is a collection of poems by Victor Hugo, conceived as an immense depiction of the history and evolution of humanity. Written intermittently between 1855 and 1876 while Hugo worked in exile on numerous other proje ...

'' File:Chifflart Périclès au lit de mort de son fils.JPG, ''Pericles at the
Deathbed of his Son'' File:Chifflart Cholera.jpg, ''Cholera in Paris'' File:Victor hugo Chifflart.jpg, ''Portrait of Victor Hugo''

References

External links

ArtNet: More works by Chifflart

"François- Nicolas Chifflart, illustrateur de Victor Hugo « un oeil, tout grand ouvert dans les ténèbres »"
(An Eye Wide Open in the Darkness) @ Paris.fr {{DEFAULTSORT:Chifflart, Francois 1825 births 1901 deaths French illustrators People from Saint-Omer French lithographers Prix de Rome for painting 19th-century French painters French male painters 19th-century French male artists

Biography

Selected works

References

Further reading

External links