Paul-Charles Chaucarne-Moreau and the mischievous Parisian tomboys in his paintings

Genre painting, showing scenes from people's real lives, is one of the most complex areas in the fine arts. It’s not enough to have mastery; you also need great talent. The French artist Paul Charles Chocarne-Moreau undoubtedly possessed it. His paintings with scenes of the street life of Parisian children are perceived as small stories.

Paul Chaucarne-Moreau was born on October 31, 1855 in Dijon into a family of artists. His father not only painted pictures, but also taught painting, and three uncles were famous sculptors in Europe. Such an environment did not leave young Paul a single chance, and he began to draw and speak almost simultaneously.

At a very young age, Chaucarn-Moreau went to Paris, where he entered the School of Fine Arts. The guy spent almost all his free time in the Louvre, looking at the paintings of great masters. He exhibited his works for the first time at the Salon of French Artists in 1882. Having received public approval and positive reviews from critics, the master began to exhibit regularly.

Paul-Charles Chaucarne-Moreau is considered one of the most prominent French authors of genre paintings. His services have been recognized by many awards and titles. Among them there are also state ones - in 1906 the artist became a holder of the Order of the Legion of Honor.

The paintings of Paul Chaucarne-Moro are easy to recognize by their subjects. The heroes of his paintings are Parisian boys. But these are not just children, but young people with certain occupations. These are apprentice pastry chefs, chimney sweeps, altar servers, hawkers, and schoolchildren. But they don’t always take their responsibilities seriously.

The boys of Shokarn-Moro steal food, skip school, fight, tease adults, smoke and even drink. But the artist presents it all in such a way that even the most unseemly actions of naughty people do not cause condemnation. The artist’s paintings can be viewed endlessly. Each of them contains a small story told by a Parisian street.

Interestingly, Paul Chaucarne-Moro also had serious, monumental paintings dedicated to historical events, for example, the French Revolution. But he’s not famous because of them—it’s his street urchins who are loved all over the world.

Paul Chaucarne-Moreau's contemporary from the USA, Raymond James Stewart, also painted pictures with mischievous children. True, his kids are not at work, but live a completely carefree life.