The painter Armand François Joseph Henrion was born in Liège, Belgium on May 30, 1875. He died in Paris in 1958. Although Henrion was born in Liège, he is considered an important portrait painter of the French School. He was eventually a naturalized citizen of France.
Where Henrion received his education is unknown. According to exhibition records, he was a regular exhibitor at various Salons throughout Paris and Belgium. He was best known for his small portraits depicting smiling facial expressions of clowns.
Henrion had an all-consuming fascination with the character of Pierrot. Henrion portrayed himself as this comic trickster, who traditionally did not wear a mask, but instead applied heavy white face make-up. Henrion explored nuances of humor in his works which encompass the facial expressions conveying such qualities as the tongue-in-cheek, the retort, the comeback, the riposte, and the droll comment. His animated, gestural style in the creation of the small, jewel-like, depictions matches the feelings they convey of a light-hearted sense that life is to be enjoyed.
