Paul Constant Soyer was a significant French painter of domestic genre scenes, still lifes, and portraits.
Born in Paris, Soyer’s father was a bookseller and his mother, an engraver, so he was rarely short of creative inspiration. His grandfather, Charles Paul Landon, was a former curator at the Louvre Museum. He trained under the eminent Léon Cogniet (1794-1880) at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and began his career as a painter of religious subjects. When one is furnished with figure painting excellence, the decision is how to apply it.
During his early career, he produced numerous works for churches depicting common subjects, such as the Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, which was also shown at the Salon in 1859. But with the market evolving, thanks to a new impetus from a growing middle-class audience, he turned his attention to genre painting and moved to the quaint village of Ecouen, eight miles north of Paris. Here, he associated with fellow artist Pierre Edouard Frère (1819-1886) and produced some of his finest work.
Ecouen provided an ideal backdrop for his raison d'etre - depicting family life within humble interiors. Artists had an abundance of inspiration on their doorstep and often left easels in local homes. The American, James Crawford Thom (1835-1898), remarked:
“The village of Ecouen, where we live, is one of the most charmingly picturesque in France. Models, interiors, and interesting subjects are at hand".
Soyer’s scenes are conspicuous for their muted tones, balanced compositions and dappled brushwork. There’s often a child or two, painted with consummate skill, along with a narrative relating to family and/or craft. In 1865, his ‘Lacemakers at Asnières-sur-Oise’ was acquired by the French government for the Musée du Luxembourg.
Soyer and Frère soon established a colony and trained numerous artists, particularly those travelling from the USA. They included Henry Seymour Chase Jr. (1853-1889) and a young Mary Stevenson Cassatt (1844-1926). Soyer is credited with encouraging Cassatt to apply more realism to her scenes, which paid dividends when she debuted at the Salon with ‘A Mandolin Player’ in 1868.
In 1870, he was awarded a medal at the Salon, along with another in 1882. Also achieving a medal at the Exposition Universelle in 1889. Following his death in 1903, a monument was erected in Écouen representing an allegory of painting.
He’s represented extensively in public collections including at the British Museum, Walters Art Museum, Petit Palais in Paris, Palace of Versailles, and Manchester Art Gallery.
Exhibited
Paris Salon.
Public Collections
The British Museum, Glasgow Museums Resource Centre, The Khalili Collections, Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Thomas-Henry Museum in Cherbourg, Museum of Archaeology and Local History in Denain, Tessé Museum in Le Mans, Legion of Honor Museum in Paris, Petit Palais in Paris, Saint-Loup Museum in Troyes, Palace of Versailles, Cartwright Hall in Bradford, Manchester Art Gallery, Astley Cheetham Art Gallery in Stalybridge.
Timeline
1823
Born in Paris to Louis-Charles Soyer, a bookseller, and Marie-Pauline Soyer (nee Landon), an engraver.
Trained under Léon Cogniet at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
1847
Debuted at the Paris Salon with a portrait of his mother.
1865
His work ‘Dentellières à Asnières-sur-Oise’ was acquired by the French government for the Musée du Luxembourg.
1867
Trained the American artist, Mary Stevenson Cassatt (1844–1926).
1870
Awarded a medal at the Paris Salon.
1877
Married Josephine Charlotte Steiger in Paris.
1882
Awarded a medal at the Paris Salon.
1889
Awarded a medal at the Exposition Universelle.
1903
Died in Chanteloup-les-Vignes, Yvelines, France.