Clément Auguste Andrieux (1829-1880) The Outdoor Painter

Clément Auguste ANDRIEUX
(Paris 1829 – Samois sur Seine 1880)
The outdoor painter Graphite on paper
H. 16.5 cm; W. 24.5 cm visible
Sale stamp lower right

Provenance: Studio sale, 1881

Trained by Alcide-Joseph Lorentz and Charles Gleyre, he established himself as a versatile realist artist: painter, draftsman, engraver and lithographer. He became known from the 1850s by exhibiting regularly at the Paris Salon, until his death. His works explore genre themes, military subjects and popular scenes. He was inspired by the significant conflicts of the century – the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War, the Franco-Prussian War, the Siege of Paris – and described the daily lives of citizens, National Guards, Communards and even provincial firefighters. An active illustrator, he collaborated with magazines such as Le Monde Illustré during the Franco-Prussian War and contributed to popular and literary works, including Le Diable à Paris, published by Jules Hetzel. He also produced series of lithographs such as La Garde nationale au village and Souvenirs d'un assiégé, devoted to the siege of Paris in 1870-71, and engravings such as L'Affaire de Châtillon in September 1870. His style is characterized by precise lines, attention to detail, and a humanized view of historical or social subjects, often in dramatic or poignant scenes. His works on paper—drawings, etchings, lithographs—like his paintings, demonstrate a mastery of visual narrative and a balance between historical documentation and artistic expression. After his death, his work continued to be studied as much for its documentary value as for its aesthetic qualities. An auction held in May 1881 aimed to support his young son and his family, perpetuating the memory of this artist attentive to his time.

This drawing from the auction after his death depicts an outdoor scene, where the painter is comfortably seated under his umbrella, working on his work. It is certainly a woman lying in the grass in front of some rocks. Suppose the forest of Fontainebleau? Alongside her are other artists, some of whose papers are scattered around.