LEAVING THE SAINT-MELAINE CHURCH IN MORLAIX

Painter of local scenes and landscapes; engraver, painter of pastels, designer and illustrator.

Léon Augustin Lhermitte was the son of a school teacher. He painted from a very early age and settled down in Paris in 1863, enrolling in the Ecole Impériale de Dessin. He initially produced charcoal drawings which revealed his deep feeling for nature. Following this, he executed canvases, showing himself to be a fine landscape artist and a skilful draughtsman. Lhermitte is recognised as having painted the lives of peasants with objective observation. In 1879 he went to Great Britain, to which he returned frequently. The same year he met the art dealer Paul Durant-Ruel who exhibited his works.

His early works gained him a third-place medal in 1874, a second place medal in 1880, and the Grand Prix at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris. He was awarded with the Légion d’Honneur in 1884, promoted to Officier in 1894 and to Commandeur in 1911. He was elected to the Institut de France in 1905.