Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
Born – Lyons, France 1824
Died – Paris, France 1898
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes was a leading decorative muralist. He produced his images on canvases, in flat fresco pigments, which were then affixed to the walls. His subjects tended to be abstracted from the Antique or allegorical themes, devoid of literary references. Simpler, poetic works, Poor Fisherman, for example, are more evocative then his monumental frieze projects. The theme of fishing and fishermen recurs in his work. The mood dictating the message of Poor Fisherman is difficult to interpret and a melancholic atmosphere pervades the consciously non-naturalistic scene. This is enhanced by anaemic colours which are typical of works from 1880s onward, dominated by a single tone. This two-dimensionality and high horizon-line is a precursor of Picasso’s calm Blue Period. Puvis de Chavannes justified his methods by stating that “Painting is not merely an imitation of reality, but a parallel with nature”. In spite of being critically underrated and described as a thinker, not a painter, he won the respect of numerous artists with a variety of aims and ideologies from Seurat to Toulouse-Lautrec. The expressive qualities of his work were of particular interest to Synthetist and Symbolist artists.
Masterpieces:
- Le Bois Sacré Cher Aux Arts et Aux Muses
- The Inspiring Muses
Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.
Books About pierre puvis de chavannes
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Set
Aimee Brown Price
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Dream States: Puvis de Chavannes, Modernism, and the Fantasy of France
Professor Jennifer L. Shaw
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Four French Symbolists: A Sourcebook on Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, Gustave Moreau, Odilon Redon, and Maurice Denis (Art Reference Collection)
Russell T. Clement
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