around 1825 -1883 · French academic realism

Rigorous drawing, orientalist scenes and silent elegance characterize Charles Bargue, painter-lithographer whose Drawing Course trained generations of artists.

Born in Paris around 1825, Charles Bargue became known as a lithographer and collaborated with the Goupil house. Close to Jean-Léon Gérôme, he transposed several of the master's compositions into prints and at the same time developed a precise genre painting, often inspired by the Orient or elegant life. Between 1866 and 1871, Bargue and Gérôme published the famous Drawing Course: three parts and 197 progressive plates devoted to models from the antique, to masters and to the living figure. Used in academies and workshops, this set became one of the famous Drawing Cours: three parts and 197 progressive plates devoted to models from the antique, to masters and the living figure. Used in academies and workshops, this set became one of the most influential drawing manuals of the 19th century. Used in academies and workshops, this set became one of the most influential drawing manuals of the 19th century. Used in academies and workshops, this set became one of the most influential drawing manuals of the 19th century. Used in academies and workshops, this set became one of the most influential drawing manuals of the 19th century. Used in academies and workshops, this set became one of the most influential drawing manuals of the 19th century. Used in academies and workshops, this set became one of the most influential drawing manuals of the

Bargue transforms observation into method: each outline, value and interval prepares the eye to understand the shape.