In the Spotlight
In The Library by Charles Paul Renouard
An original drawing by the artist Charles Paul Renouard has been identified in the records of St Thomas’s Hospital Medical School (TH/ILL1/5) held at King’s College London Archives. The collection holds many surprises, with illustrations ranging from anatomical to architectural.
The pencil drawing shows students of St Thomas’s studying in the library. It was published in The Graphic, on 2 Oct 1886, with other sketches of medical students at work.
In the Library is a featured work selected for Line and Form, an online exhibition of drawings selected from collections in King's College Archives and the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives.
Paul Renouard (1845-1924) apparently started his career as a decorator before studying at L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts. In 1875 he collaborated with his teacher and mentor, Isidore Pils, on the interior of the Paris Opera including the ceilings and frescos. Renouard’s debut exhibition was at the Salon in 1877. He was influenced by Degas and Manet, which can be seen in his studies of dancers and actors, but also gained the admiration of van Gogh.
He is probably best known for his pencil drawings and prints, in particular a series of pencil drawings, The Royal Academy, 1885, and a series of etchings, L’Opera, in 1892. He produced illustrations for a number of publications in England, as well as France, including the Illustrated London News and The Graphic.
Examples of his work can be found in collections across the world including the Royal Academy of Arts and the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Further reading
Baron-Renouard, Paul Renouard’s grandson:
www.baronrenouard.com/Renouard/
The Correspondence of James McNeill Whistler, University of Glasgow:
www.whistler.arts.gla.ac.uk/correspondence/people/biog/?bid=Reno_CP&initial=R
Examples of his work
The Royal Academy of Arts:
www.racollection.org.uk/ixbin/indexplus?_IXACTION_=file&_IXFILE_=templates/full/person.html&_IXTRAIL_=Search+Results&person=18859
National Portrait Gallery:
www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp85537/charles-paul-renouard
Tokyo National Museum:
webarchives.tnm.jp/imgsearch/search?q=renouard