An elegant portrait of a woman in an evening gown in soft, harmonious colors, circa 1930, by the painter Henri Paul Royer; titled "The Sphinx" when it was exhibited at the Salon.

Oil on canvas
Signed lower right.
Dimensions: 97 x 130 cm
With frame: 118 x 152 cm

Old exhibition label dated 1935 on the back
Exhibited at the Paris Salon under the title: “The Sphinx”

We found a photo of the painter in his studio painting this picture with his model.

Women are a recurring subject in the paintings of Henri Paul Royer.

Here, a high-angle shot of a sofa where the elegant woman is lounging, welcomed by soft cushions and shimmering fabrics.

Her long, flowing turquoise blue evening dress, made of taffeta and tulle, covers the entire sofa, bringing a lot of light to the painting.

Its design is precise, its color harmonies measured and harmonious.

Bibliography

Genre painter, portraitist, and landscaper Henri Paul Royer was born in Nancy. He is the son of Jules Royer, founder of one of the most important lithographic printing houses in Nancy.

Immersed in the art world, Royer joined the Nancy School of Fine Arts where he met Émile Friant. There, he took classes with Antoine Vierling and Louis-Théodore Devilly and exhibited his first works at the Nancy Salon.

These early successes prompted his parents and teachers to encourage a study trip to the Netherlands with Emile Friant, who would then have an influence on him.

Upon his return in 1888, he enrolled at the Académie Julian in Paris where he was a pupil of Jules Joseph Lefebvre and Gustave Boulanger.

In 1890, he made his debut at the Salon with the painting entitled "The Vagabond", for which he was awarded an honorable mention.

He was awarded several times, including a gold medal at the Fine Arts Exhibition on the occasion of the Jubilee of Emperor Franz Joseph in Vienna; and a silver medal at the 1900 World's Fair.

He traveled to South and North America, where he stayed for a long time, and traveled through Europe.

His trip to Brittany in 1896 had a profound impact on him and until the end of his life, Royer devoted himself to painting Breton subjects.

He was named Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in 1900.

In 1901 he was offered the position of director of the women's workshop at the Académie Julian, which he accepted.

A professor at the Académie Julian in Paris and at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Henri Royer had many students in his studio.

In 1906, he participated in the decoration of the Villa Majorelle in Nancy.

During the First World War, Henri Royer joined the 1st Engineer Regiment, camouflage section, on November 1, 1916.

He died in Neuilly-sur-Seine on October 31, 1938.

In 2008, an exhibition was organized in Audierne to pay tribute to the painter.

Bibliography

• Meeting of National Museums, The Nancy School, 1889-1909: Art Nouveau and Art Industries, 1999,

• Gérald Schurr, 1820-1920, the little masters of painting: value of tomorrow, vol. 3, Éditions de l'Amateur, 1986.

• National Museums Council, Revue du Louvre: the review of French museums,

• Lorraine Society of Friends of the Arts, “Our exhibitors: Henri Royer”, Bulletin of the Eastern Artistic Societies, Eastern Cooperative Printing House, no. 1, January 1903, pp. 84-88

• Maurice Garçot, “Henri Royer”, Le Pays Lorrain, Nancy, Berger-Levrault, no. 7, July 1939

• Gabriel Weisberg and Karal Ann Marling, Montmartre and the Making of Mass Culture, London, Rutgers University Press, 2001, 296 pages.

Museums

France

• Paris, Louvre Museum; Orsay Museum. 

• Nancy, Museum of Fine Arts – Nymph (1893)

• Quimper, Museum of Fine Arts

• Brest, Museum of Fine Arts

Brazil

• Rio de Janeiro, Museum of Fine Arts:

Source

• https://www.galerie-roger-viollet.fr/fr/photo-henri-royer-1869-1938-peintre-francais-et-son-341095-3607410890