Henri Vignet - Rue Zaccharie In Paris

Henri Vignet (1857-1920), Rue Zacharie in Paris, 1902.

Oil on canvas mounted on panel. Signed lower right and left. The painting is also titled and monogrammed by the artist on the reverse and bears a label annotated "(725)/ Rue Zacharie Paris/1902/Coll Rouen".

Oil: 45.8 x 26.5 cm; with frame: 62.3 x 43.2 cm.

Vignet was one of the founders of the Rouen School. A student of Zacharie and Lebel, he exhibited at the Rouen Salon from 1884. Noticed at the Salon of 1891, he was awarded a bronze medal. Settling on Rue Saint-Romain in the former workshops of the ironworker Marrou, he soon achieved success with his views of old Rouen. He painted similar views after moving to Paris in 1899, often lively, adhering to a Romantic style. He then lived at 12 Rue Cornet, where his neighbor was Léon Bloy, with whom he frequently clashed. He later moved to the Île Saint-Louis, and his oil paintings were reproduced in a series of black and white postcards. He exhibited at the Salon in Paris from 1902 onward. His mastery of light was the key to his success. A critic at the Paris Salon noted in 1903 the qualities of a "modern painter who captures the most elusive nuances."

This view is typical of his work. Vignet uses the shadow on the left side to give depth to his composition. Zacharie Street, a model for artists due to its picturesque nature, was particularly well-suited to his work. Photographer Charles Marville had already captured it in the mid-1860s.