CHARLES MERYON

CHARLES MERYON  

SUNDAY Feature on ART of Architecture -by Gautam Shah

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CHARLES MERYON (also Méryon) (1821-1868) was a French artist. He worked almost exclusively in etchings (since 1848 ), as he suffered from colour blindness.

Meryon is recognized as the most important etching artist of 19^th C France. He, from a young age, wanted to serve with the Navy. In the Navy, he sailed around the world including, Australasia and the South Seas. He sketched his voyages, such as landscapes, houses, or boats sailing near the coast. Many years later, these sketches became part of his etchings.

Meryon’s earliest projects belonged to the conventional history views, but it was after he was forced to etching, he began to work on architectural subjects, often in a romantic style. In his etchings he took Paris as his principal topic, and it was here that his art truly began to flourish.

Meryon was a meticulous person in detailing out the architecture. He would devise a complete building from the multiple sketches, as bottom upwards, the same manner as the builder. His etchings of Paris cover straightforward topographical views along with romantic and disturbing fantasies.

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