Charlet, Nicolas Toussaint (1792-1845). Signed Drawing

FRENCH SCHOOL, XIXth.
CHARLET, NICOLAS TOUSSAINT, signed lower left.
Dated 1839.
"Landscape with rocks"
At sight: 17 x 22 cm.
Frame: 24 x 29 cm

BIOGRAPHY: Charlet enters in 1817, in the workshop of Antoine-Jean Gros where he meets Gilles-François Closson. He succeeded mainly in drawing and lithography, and soon acquired an immense vogue in dealing with military subjects or popular scenes that everyone knew in the nineteenth century. He also practiced successfully in painting. He opened a lithography workshop in the 1820s. At the beginning, Honoré Daumier worked in anonymity for music publishers, imitating the Charlet style. Géricault appreciates the talent of Charlet: the two artists are linked by a strong friendship. In 1838 he was appointed professor of drawing at the Ecole Polytechnique. The lithographic work of this indefatigable artist consists of nearly 1,100 sheets. He also produced nearly 2,000 sepia, watercolor, pen and etchings, and his studio was filled with oil sketches. With Auguste Raffet, Nicolas-Toussaint Charlet is one of the main creators of the Napoleonic legend in the field of illustration. Charlet creates a striking iconography that will largely contribute to anchor the Napoleonic legend in the collective imagination. He has also left some great history paintings, and his Episode of the Russian Retreat (circa 1836, Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon), is one of the classics of French painting.