BLANC (Charles). - Lot 43

BLANC (Charles). Brother of Louis Blanc. Born in Castres in 1813; died in 1882. Art critic, historian, and theorist; author of the famous *Grammar of the Arts of Drawing*. Member of the Académie française. Director of Fine Arts during the Second Republic and later during the Third Republic. Set of 3 letters: 2 autograph signed letters (1867 and 1872) and 1 letter signed on letterhead from the Ministry of Public Instruction, Directorate of Fine Arts (1872). 1867. 1 page, in-4 format. A fine, critical yet friendly letter discussing his correspondent’s *Causeries sur l’art*. In it, Blanc expresses his constant interest in “true principles, eternal principles,” and develops aesthetic considerations drawn from his reflections on art and classical tradition, particularly Greek. He also mentions a portrait of a young Chinese model as well as his own journalistic work, particularly regarding the World’s Fair and contemporary works of art. Paris, August 1, 1872. 1 page, in-8. Letter addressed to a fellow art critic, commending an article published in *Le Constitutionnel* on the history of painters. In it, Blanc acknowledges the writer’s longstanding and solid expertise, recalling the Salon reviews published in *Le Courrier français*, which he read “with double interest,” as he himself operated within the same sphere of literary and critical activity. April 6, 1872. 1 page, in-4 format, on letterhead from the Ministry of Public Instruction, Directorate of Fine Arts. Administrative letter regarding the granting of a retirement pension following the elimination of a position, attesting to Charles Blanc’s official duties within the Fine Arts administration. A coherent and interesting collection, blending aesthetic reflection, literary social life, and administrative activity, illustrating the various facets of Charles Blanc—at once a critic, a writer, and a high-ranking civil servant.