Henri Arondel Attribué à (1827 - 1900)

Henri Arondel was born in Saint-Malo on June 13, 1827, to a shoemaker father and a seamstress mother. His professional career is varied. He was a bootmaker until after 1870, a city councilor from 1881 to his death, a painter from before 1864, then a drawing teacher shortly before 1894. He exercised all these functions in his native town. Father of a family of six children and dean of the city council, he died on April 10, 1900.

A self-taught painter, Henri Arondel painted landscapes with romantic skies. He is known to have painted a few portraits of family members and at least one self-portrait is attributed to him. He also produced a series of still lifes.

In 1864, a deliberation of the fine arts commission of Saint-Malo mentions that "Mr. Arondel, master shoemaker in Saint-Malo, has all the aspirations of a true artist, and also has the talent. [...] Mr. Arondel travels the countryside, his easel on his back, stops in front of every view that strikes him and brings home the fruit of his studies. The painting we are proposing to purchase represents a view of the Marville pond. This painting, acquired by the City, was destroyed in 1944 during the Liberation bombings.