Japan
Like many of his contemporaries, Guérard drew inspiration from Japanese printmaking. The critic Roger Marx went so far as to call him ‘the Japanese from Paris’. Guérard frequently chose Japanese-style motifs, such as close-ups from nature, and followed their example technically by producing a great many woodcuts. Japanese prints influenced him stylistically too: he worked with large expanses of colour, dark outlines, abrupt cropping and unconventional compositions.
Henri Charles Guérard, Japonaiserie with calender 1884, 1884
Henri Charles Guérard, Venice by Night (Venise la nuit), 1891
In Rembrandt’s footsteps
Guérard was closely involved with the peintres-graveurs – the group who sought during the etching revival to elevate this form of printmaking into an art form in its own right. They experimented with the etching medium and the various techniques to their hearts’ content and pulled their own prints. Rembrandt was their great example in this respect, prompting Guérard to write:
‘Rembrandt [...] pulled his etchings himself, and I think we can only win by following the example of such a master.’
Norbert Goeneutte, Henri Guérard at his press (Henri Guérard à sa presse), 1888
Further reading
- Madeleine Viljoen, A Curious Hand. The Prints of Henri-Charles Guérard 1846-1897, New York 2016
- Marie-Caroline Sainsaulieu, Henri Guérard (1846-1897), Paris 1999
- Claudie Bertin, Henri Guérard, peintre-graveur, Nouvelles de l’estampe 31 (1977) no. 5