College Henri IV 1863

Charles Meryon sketched "College Henri IV" in 1869 with graphite and red chalk. Meryon’s personal struggles with mental health deeply influenced his artistic perspective. His experience in the French Navy shaped his deep connection with urban and maritime landscapes. He saw architecture as a testament to human history, and his detailed renderings of buildings, like the College Henri IV, reflect his reverence for the past. His etching is set against the backdrop of Haussmann's renovation of Paris. Meryon was critical of the destruction of old neighborhoods, which he saw as erasures of collective memory. His art became a form of resistance, capturing the spirit of a Paris that was rapidly vanishing. Meryon once said that his art was a way "to retain the imprint of the past." Consider how the sketch captures the weight of history and the emotional impact of urban transformation.