Galerie Paul Prouté

A native of Lyon from a noble family, de Boissieu spent most of his life in his hometown. After learning the craft from modest artists and attending the École gratuite de dessin de Lyon, he published his first engravings in 1758 with Parizet in Paris. De Boissieu traveled to Italy in 1765, accompanied by the Duke of La Rochefoucauld, and settled permanently in Lyon in 1771. From then on, he drew constant inspiration from the landscapes of the Lyon region, while occasionally incorporating echoes of his Italian journey. His taste also led him toward the Flemish and Dutch masters. He remained, however, faithful to the technique of Chinese ink wash throughout his life, following the example of the 17th-century artists of the Northern School. The subtlety of his ink washes brought him fame. De Boissieu was primarily an engraver—his body of work includes some 140 pieces—and a draftsman, with more than 700 sheets. His body of paintings, on the other hand, consists of only about twenty works.