Auguste Lepere stood at the cradle of the rebirth of wood engraving in Europe and is considered to be one of the best from that era. Hardly known and almost forgotten by all, his art was rediscovered by some gallery owners in Europe and the US and since his star is rising again. And deservedly. …. just take a look at these 2 engravings and je instantly see quality in ssnene, composition and technique.
At age thirteen, Auguste Louis Lepère began his artistic education in the Paris studio of the engraver Joseph Burn-Smeeton. By the mid-1870s, Lepère had clearly emerged as one of the most renowned printmakers of his time.
Lepère focused mostly on daily life in both his etchings and wood engravings. He is now renowned for his innovations, such as the use of colored paper, or the combining of etching and wood engraving on the same print. The last years of Auguste Lepère’s life were given almost exclusively to wood engraving. In total, his graphic oeuvre consists of over 150 etchings, over 200 wood engravings and 14 lithographs.
www.ftn-books.com has one gallery exhibition catalogue on Lepere available. A special one which includes a 1990 price list.
