Félix Hilaire Buhot

Félix Hilaire Buhot (1847-1898) was one the leading exponents of the etching revival, which saw artists creating prints that were genuine works of art in their own right. He liked to call his etchings ‘paintings on copper’ for that reason.

Buhot pulled his prints himself, experimenting widely with different etching techniques and even coming up with new variations. Besides etching, he explored new applications of aquatint, dry point and plate tone to give his prints an even more painterly effect.

Félix Hilaire Buhot, Landing in England (Un débarquement en Angleterre), 1879 — Félix Hilaire Buhot, *Landing in England (Un débarquement en Angleterre)*, 1879

In Rembrandt’s footsteps

Rembrandt was a great example to experimental printmakers like Buhot – not only for his artistic qualities, but above all because he printed his etchings himself. Buhot described the printing process in the following terms in a letter to the critic and collector Philippe Burty:

‘The Victor Hugo [etching] is not yet bitten. I am working on it right now and it seems to be working, but it is precisely this mysterious hour of the bite that I fear. If I had a picture of Rembrandt in my room I’d light him a candle.’

For the collector

Buhot responded to the strong demand from collectors for unique impressions, outside the standard edition. He printed on special paper, for instance, and changed his design or execution after each impression.

Many of his prints also incorporate remarques: sketches or scribbles in the margin of the etching, making the impressions unique and personal. The practice got so out of hand in Buhot’s work that he sometimes printed an entire extra set of images from a second plate around the main one.

Félix Hilaire Buhot, Westminster Palace, 1884 — Félix Hilaire Buhot, *Westminster Palace*, 1884

Félix Hilaire Buhot, Winter in Paris (L'hiver à Paris) or Snow in Paris (La neige à Paris), 1879 — Félix Hilaire Buhot, *Winter in Paris (L'hiver à Paris) or Snow in Paris (La neige à Paris)*, 1879

Félix Hilaire Buhot

In Rembrandt’s footsteps

For the collector

Further reading