Maurice Denis

Biography

After studies with the Lycée Condorcet where it meets Edouard Vuillard and Ker Xavier Roussel it forms in Louvre where FRA Angelico determines its vocation of Christian painter, marked then by the discovery of Pierre Puvis de Chavannes. He studies simultaneously with the École of the fine arts and with the Académie Julian in 1888 but he leaves the first quickly, considering it too academic. It meets this same year Paul Sérusier which offers a table to him, the Talisman . It founds with this last the school of the Nabis and becomes the theorist about it. More or less detached from Christianity, Nabis seek spiritual ways in contact with philosophies and tinted new doctrines of the East, Orphisme and Esotericism. In 1892, to the Living room of Independent, twenty-two years it presents an enigmatic table " Mystery (Morning) of Easter " signed in bottom on the right of the monogram " Maud " who still adds to the mystery of work. In 1889, it discovers during the World Fair the painting of Paul Gauguin whose influence will be determining in the continuation of its work. Besides it acquires one of its paintings in 1903, the self-portrait with yellow Christ , currently with the Musée of Orsay. It meets Marthe Meurier in 1890 which it takes as model in many tables and which it marries one year later. From 1890, it returns to a more decorative art, painting large panels for the dwellings of several patrons. It thus completes in 1897 the Hunting of Saint-Hubert on seven panels. But since 1892 Maurice Denis forsakes a traditional iconography for more personal symbols. He uses of a set of themes inspired by poetry Symbolist and the epic poetry of the Middle Ages. He introduces the image of the woman into paradisiac gardens in which the nuances and the paleness of tons come to reveal the rêveuse atmosphere of the places. He discovers Italy his second fatherland in company of his wife and his friend, the musician Ernest Chausson, in whom he places with Fiesole. He painted a series of landscapes there and will make ten voyages there. Its style evolves/moves gradually, the painter introducing some modelled as well as a prospect for the decoration, thus finding a traditional tradition, to which testifies, for example, Figures in a landscape of spring (1897). Starting from 1898, it approaches the topic of the bathers during several stays with Perros-Guirec in Brittany where it buys the villa Silencio . In 1906 he travels with Ker Xavier Roussel to Provence and on the coast where the light of the seaside allows him exalter the colors and to underline the violence which often emanates from these legends.

He resides most of his life at Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer, using the buildings of an old hospital and pertaining to the parish. He built a workshop in 1912 there and becomes owner of the places starting from 1914 which he re-elects Prieuré . Its success is then international, it is at the top of social sound ascencion. The war and the death of his Marthe wife on August 22nd 1919, after many years of disease, reinforces its action for a Christian art. It is devoted then to the decoration of the vault of its priory by mural frescos, the design of the stained glasses, furniture, the whole on the topic of Holy Marthe. Although unfinished, it is inaugurated on March 25th 1922. She will be used on several occasions with a religious aim since the painter will marry several of his children there. He marries this same year Elisabeth Graterolle. He teaches with the Ranson academy of 1908 with 1921. He founds in 1919 the Workshops of Sacred arts with Georges Desvallières, forming a whole generation of young painters. Its official recognition reaches its apogee after the end of the First World War and several retrospective exposures show its work (Biennale de Venise in 1922, Pavillon of Marsan to Paris in 1924. It has several patrons and Etienne Black-Nélaton acquires one of its works, Amour, Foi, Espérance (1915) which it gives to the Musée of Louvre in 1919. Catholic, member of the Dominican Third-order, it interprets impressed Dominican topics of tenderness. Politically it is close to the French Action. It receives the rank of commander of the Legion of honor in 1926. He is elected member of the Académie of the Art schools in 1932.

Decorative Work

“Of the walls, of the walls to be decorated”, such was the watchword in the workshops at the end of the 19th century, resting on the public order and from 1900 those flow. What Denis calls “the life of the scaffolding” will not cease any more.

1903, Holy-Marguerite Church, Vésinet: Vaults of the Virgin and the Sacred Heart, déambulatoire.
1912-1913, the cupola (and exèdre, disappeared today) of the Theater of the Fields-Elysées: History of the music. The fabrics are realized in its workshop of Saint-Germain that Perret has just built for the occasion.
1915-1920, the Vault of the Priory with German St in Bush hammer.
1920, Saint-Germain Church with Gagny: The Battle of the Marne.
1922-1927, Church Our-Lady-of-the-Consolation due to the Perret brothers, Raincy: Life of Marie, the translation of the models in stained glass was entrusted to Marguerite Huré. collaborator of the Workshops of Sacred art.
1923-1927, Saint-Louis Church, Vincennes: Béattitudes and Glorifification of St-Louis.
1925, Small-Palate, Museum of the Art schools of the Town of Paris, Dutuit cupola: History of French Art.
1931 Church Our-Lady-of the Missions with Épinay: Saint Pierre and saint-Paul evangelists.
1931, Staircase of the International office of Work in Geneva: Christ with the Workmen, Dignity of Work.
1934, Church of the Holy Spirit, Paris 75012: Pentecost.
1934, Baptistry of the Church saint-Nicaise of Rheims: The Source of Life.
1937, Side Gallery of the Palate of Chaillot to Paris: sacred music and profane Music.
1937, College Claude Bernard with Auteuil: Hall, traditional French culture.
1938, Room of Parliament of the Nations in Geneva.
1938, Church of Lapoutroie, Haut-Rhin: four scenes of the life of holy-Odile.
1941, Apse of the vault of the boarding school of the Sacred Heart of Crete: evocation of Marie-Mediating.
1943, Basilica of Thonon its last Way of Cross.

Quotations

“ And then I would make Art, Art of mass, in all and everywhere. I will gorge myself, I will enivrerai myself of this pure and holy pleasure, of this soft life, if wished, of artist ”, ( Journal , July 30th, 1885)

“ to remember that a table, before being a war-horse, a nude woman or any anecdote, is primarily a plane surface covered with assembled colors in a certain order. ” (“Definition of Néo-traditionalism”, Review Art and Critique , August 30th, 1890)

Writings

Theories, 1890-1910. Symbolism and of Gauguin towards a new traditional order (1912)
New Theories on the modern art, the sacred art. 1914-1921 (1922)
Notebooks of voyage in Italy, 1921-1922 (1925)
Henry Lerolle and his friends, follow-up of Some letters of friends (1932)
Charms and Leçons of Italy (1933)
History of the religious art (1939)
Paul Sérusier. ABC of painting. Follow-up of a study on the life and the work of Paul Sérusier (1942)
Newspaper. Volume I: 1884-1904. Volume II: 1905-1920. Volume III: 1921-1943 (1957)
White Jacques-Emile Correspondence - Maurice Denis: 1901-1939 . Edition established, presented and annotated by Georges-Paul Collet (1989).
Sky and Arcadie . Texts joined together, presented and annotated by Jean-Paul Bubble (1993).
Maurice Denis and André Gide, Correspondence (1892-1945) , ED. P. Masson and C. Schäffer, Paris, Gallimard, 2006,418 p.

Some of its works…

Museum of the Petit Palais, Paris.

Intimacy , 1903
Florentin Evening, the Cantata, and Bathers , fragments of the Stern hotel in Paris.
Bathers in Perros-Guirrec , 1909, dedicated with Georges Lacombe
Bathers, beach of Pouldu , 1899.

the Magnificat , oil on fabric, Granville, Museum of the Old man Granville
Eurydice , about 1903-1904, oil on fabric, 75,5 X 116,8 cm, Berlin Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.
Museum of Orsay, Paris

Landscape with the green trees , 1893, oil on fabric, 46 X 43 cm
Assembled to the Martyrdom , 1889, oil on fabric, 41 X 32,5 cm
the Muses , 1893, oil on fabric, 171,5 X 137,5 cm
Maternity with the window , about 1899, oil on fabric, 70 X 46 cm
Fonds of photographs taken by Maurice Denis

They transfer fairies to unload on the beaches , about 1893, oil on paperboard, 22 X 30 cm, Particular Collection.
Folding screen with the doves , about 1896, four panels of 164 X 54 cm, oils on fabric, particular Collection.
July, 1892, oil on fabric, 38 X 61 cm, Collection Rau, Zurich.
Maternity with the yellow bed , 1896, oil on fabric, 33 X 41 cm, Collection Rau, Zurich.
Taking the veil , 1933, oil on paperboard, 48 X 61,5 cm, Vernon, Museum A.G. Foal.
Welsh Goddess of the herds , 1905, oil on paperboard, 80 X 68 cm, Munich, Neue Pinakoteck.
Illustration of Wisdom of Paul Verlaine in 1889 and published by Ambroise Vollard.

departmental Museum Maurice Denis “Priory”
Suzanne Roger
Robert Gall
Decorations of the vault of the Holy-Marguerite church to the Vésinet
Paperboards of the stained glasses of the Notre-Dame church of Raincy