Gustave BrionJavert, fromLes Misérables by Victor Hugo, published in 1862.A Wedding in Alsace, 1872Procession in Strasbourg, 1873The pilgrims of Sainte Odile (Unterlinden Museum), Colmar
He was born atRothau in the department ofBas-Rhin on 24 October 1824 and studied inStrasbourg under the painterGabriel-Cristophe Guérin and then the sculptorAndreas Friedrich. In 1847, his exhibitedIntérieur à Dambach at theSalon of 1847.[2] A few years later, he moved to a studio on rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs, in the same building as Realist artists Jules Breton and François Bonvin.[3]
Brion gained recognition for his genre paintings depicting the peasant life and customs of Alsace, though he occasionally painted historical subjects, such asThe Siege of a Town by Romans under Julius Caesar, commissioned by Napoleon III. He earned a Second-Class Medal at the ParisSalon of 1853 for his paintingsSchlitteurs de la Forêt-Noire and Potato Harvest during an Inundation. The former was later destroyed during theFranco-Prussian War.[1] In 1863, his workLes Fleurs du Pays earned him a First-Class Medal at the Salon of 1863, along with theLegion of Honour. Additional honors followed at the Exposition Universelle of 1867 and the Salon of 1868.[4]
In addition to painting, Brion worked as a book illustrator. He designed over 200 illustrations for the first edition of Hugo's novelLes Misérables,[5] including the first published portrayal ofInspector Javert.[6] His illustrations for the author'sThe Hunchback of Notre-Dame depictedQuasimodo andEsmeralda.[1]
Despite his success in Paris, Brion remained deeply attached to his native Alsace, and the annexation of the region by Germany after theFranco-Prussian War in 1871 was a personal loss for him. He died on 3 November 1877 at the age of 53.[4]
^Explication des Ouvrages de Peinture, Sculpture, Architecture, Gravure et Lithographie des Artistes Vivans, Exposés au Musée Royal le 16 Mars 1847 (Paris: Vinchon, 1847), No. 252, p. X.Wikimedia Commons
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Bryan, Michael (1886)."Brion, Gustave". In Graves, Robert Edmund (ed.).Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers (A–K). Vol. I (3rd ed.). London: George Bell & Sons.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Bryan, Michael (1886)."Brion, Gustave". In Graves, Robert Edmund (ed.).Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers (A–K). Vol. I (3rd ed.). London: George Bell & Sons.
