Henri Charlier (19 April 1883 – 24 December 1975) was a French painter and sculptor, noted for his religious art. He also wrote essays on art and music. Early years Henri Charlier was born in the Montmartre quarter of Paris on 19 April 1883. His father, Charles Charlier, was a freemason and strongly anti-Catholic. Henri was not baptized and was raised without any religious instruction. He began to study the piano when he was eight, and music would always be an important part of his life. He attended the Lycée Janson de Sailly for his secondary education. During his childhood and adolescence he would spend his summer vacations with his maternal grandparents Clovis and Nathalie Bidet, winemakers at Cheny, Yonne. Painter He completed his first oil painting in 1899. In 1901 he studied law for a year in accordance with his father's wishes, but had no interest in the subject. He thought of becoming a historian, but then decided on Fine Arts. In 1902 he entered the studio of Jean-Paul Laurens for a year. He continued to study painting at the Académie Colarossi, and pursued a career as a painter until the age of thirty. He obtained a position teaching drawing in 1904, which he held until 1914. He continued to study, and made the acquaintance of Rodin, Matisse and Bourdel. On 25 August 1906 he contracted a civil marriage with Émilie Boudard. Charlier exhibited at the Salon of Independent Artists in 1911, and later was shown in several other exhibitions. He converted to Christianity in 1913. After this he often visited the Benedictine monastery of Saint-Louis du Temple, where he became the friend of Dom Poitevin et Dom Besse. In July 1914 the Charliers went on vacation at a friend's home in Burgundy. On 2 August 1914 they heard of the general mobilization at the start of World War I (1914–18). Henri Charlier enlisted as a volunteer and was drafted as a medical assistant. In March 1916 he was appointed to the Hospital of Commercy, Meuse. That year he exhibited a painted bas-relief at the Salon des Artistes Indépendants. The architect Maurice Storez bought the bas-relief and invited Charlier to become a founding member of the society of Christian artists and architects. At this time Charlier became a sculptor. Sculptor In 1919 Henri et Emilie Charlier moved to the family house in Cheny, and transformed the barn into a