Armand Guillaumin

description

A French painter and graphic artist, a master of landscape.

Jean-Baptiste Armand Guillaumin was born into a simple family of workers. In the same year, his family moved to Moulins, where the artist lived until the age of 16.

Armand was one of the founders of French Impressionism; he exhibited his works at the Salon des Refuses, along with Monet, Cezanne and Pissarro. He first drew attention to the emerging Neo-impressionism, and even joined the new movement himself for a while. Guillaumin is not as well known to the general public as his eminent comrades; however, his creative legacy is no less remarkable and marvelous in its own way.

Key ideas:

– Armand Guillaumin can rightly be called one of the founders and loyal followers of Impressionism. Starting from the first exhibition of the Salon des Refuses, which became the debut for the young artist, and ending with the latest canvases, he remained faithful to the chosen manner, filling his paintings with sunlight and boldly using a rich color palette.

– Guillaumin painted mostly landscapes depicting the streets of Paris and its surroundings. The choice of plots is caused not so much by the preferences of the artist as by the prevailing life circumstances. He was forced to work as a laborer and could not afford to leave the city for a long time.

– Only in the second half of his life, when the financial position of Guillaumin improved, thanks to a big win in the lottery, the artist was able to travel and paint views not only in France, but in other countries as well. During this period, his most characteristic works appeared – images of the seashore, cities and villages, painted in a recognizable manner using a rich color palette and bold textural strokes.

+ Read more

1841

1857

1863 - 1864

1868

1872

1883

1887

1892

1927

The birth of the artist

Armand Guillaumin was born on the 16th of February in 1841 in Paris.

Moved to Paris

Moved to Paris, where he attended art classes at a municipal school.

Continued art education at the Paris Suisse Academy

Continued art education at the Paris Suisse Academy. There he met Paul Cézanne and Camille Pissarro, who later became his close friend. He exhibited his works at the Salon des Refuses and later took part in all of its exhibitions, except the second one.

Resigned to paint

Resigned to paint. Being in need, he made his living by painting curtains, which did not give him enough money. Because of this, the artist was forced to return to work again after a few years.

Joined a municipal service at the department of bridges and roads

Joined a municipal service at the department of bridges and roads, but did not stop painting, devoting all his free time to this activity.

Became interested in the technique of pointillism

Made friends with Paul Signac and Georges Seurat. Became interested in the technique of pointillism, but soon left it, using his own artistic method, already developed by that time.

Got acquainted with Vincent Van Gogh

Got acquainted with Vincent Van Gogh. Friendly relations established between them.

Won a large amount of money in a city lottery

Won a large amount of money in a city lottery. The victory completely changed the artist’s life. He quit his job and entirely devoted himself to painting.