Charles Angrand

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Charles Théophile Angrand (April 19, 1854 - April 1, 1926) was a French Impressionist, Pointillist painter and anarchist illustrator.

[edit] Biography

Son of a country school teacher, Charles Théophile Angrand, was born in Criquetot-sur-Ouville, Normandy, in 1854. He finished Ecole Municipale des Beaux-Arts in Rouen and first earned a living by giving lessons; his early works were influenced by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot.

A teacher before devoting himself to painting. He practiced pointillism early on, but as a friend libertarian painters such as Georges-Pierre Seurat and Paul Signac he was influenced by neo-impressionism and strong contrasts and pure hues factored into his later work. He made many pleine-air studies, worked with Seurat on the Island of Grande Jatte, painted landscapes and views of Parisian suburbs, using the pointillist technique.

One of the founders of the Salon des Indépendants, created in 1884. In 1889, he participated in the exhibition of Belgium avant-garde group Les Vingt in Brussels. The death of his friend Seurat in 1891 was a great blow for Angrand. He moved to Normandy and led a solitary life there, even stopped painting for some time. he also taught at the Lycée Chaptal in Paris.

Although moving to Normandy, Charles Angrand takes part in the illustration of Jean Grave's "Les temps nouveaux" (begun in 1895), as well as helping with financing, by offering his works in lotteries of the time.

Up to 1900 his painting of form became increasingly pointillist; In 1900 he set for experimenting with big rectangular brush-strokes. Unlike points they did not create the optic unity, their main advantage of them was intensity of color. Later he returned to an almost traditional technique with simple forms.

Angrand continued his participation in the Salon des Indépendants off and on up until his death. Angrand was a self-declared anarchist, took part in illustrating anarchist publications and helped them financially.

Angrand died in Rouen on April 1, 1926.