Auguste Allongé (1833-1889), Charcoal

Charcoal drawing signed lower left by Auguste Allongé. Auguste Allongé was a painter and watercolorist associated with the Barbizon school, having studied at the Imperial School of Fine Arts in Paris. However, it is primarily his charcoal technique that characterizes his work. His ambition was to elevate charcoal beyond a mere sketching tool to a medium capable of producing ambitious, finished works. He published a treatise on charcoal drawing that achieved international renown. "Allongé is charcoal drawing, and charcoal drawing is Allongé." — Emile Richard, renowned 19th-century art critic.