Yan' Dargent 1824-1899

Jean-Édouard Dargent, known as Yan’ Dargent, was born in 1824 in Saint-Servais. His mother died when he was only two years old, and his father had to leave the village, leaving young Yann in the care of his grandparents, who raised him. In 1840, Yan’ was hired by the railway company to carry out land surveys. Because of his remarkable talent for drawing, he quickly rose in rank and took on the role of public works engineer.

In Troyes, he met M. Schitz, a drawing professor; this encounter marked a turning point in his life, as it was likely Schitz who encouraged Yan’ to pursue a career in art.

In 1850, his company offered him a new project in Spain, which he declined in order to settle in Paris and try to live from his painting. Around the same time, he became the father of a son, Ernest, born to Aimée Crignou. From 1850 to 1861, he worked tirelessly, exhibiting one or two paintings each year at the Paris Salon, where he began to distinguish himself. During these eleven years, he lost the mother of his son, whom he adopted, strengthening their bond.

In 1861, he achieved fame: Théophile Gautier noticed his celebrated painting Les lavandières de la nuit and wrote a laudatory article about it. Immediately, a crowd of journalists rushed to interview the artist. Ultimately, Yan’ Dargent found a reliable livelihood through book illustration, which freed him from having to sell his paintings. From 1869 to 1878, he was commissioned by the clergy to decorate several churches in Brittany. He was the artist who most loved, understood, and translated Brittany. His work is imbued with a very particular poetry.