History of Art:Edgar Maxence (12): elle

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History of Art:Edgar Maxence (12)

Mar 01, 2011 21:20

EDGAR MAXENCE (NANTES 1871 - 1954 LA BERNERIE)

Maxence is best remembered for his symbolist work, which drew both acclaim and criticism. Born in Nantes in 1871, he was a pupil of Jules-Elle Delaunay and Gustave Moreau at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. A painter of portraits, landscapes, and still lifes, he is perhaps best known for his pictures of subjects drawn from the Bible and ancient legends.

Фрагменты работ (из архивных постов,подр.см. в тэге)

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Deux anges
oil and tempera on board

Maxence exhibited regularly at the Salon from 1894, and at the Salon de la Rose+Croix between 1895 and 1897. In 1924 he was elected a member of the Institute and made an Officer of the Legion of Honor.

Jeune Fille Rousse Nourrissant des Cygnes

Reflection -oil on canvas

His work was often religious or allegorical, ornate and richly colored, drawing upon the techniques of the Pre-Raphaelites, in addition to the Symbolists.

Les Fleurs du lac, 1900
Tempera sur panneau - 84 x 164 cm
Paris, collection particulière

Le Calme du soir, 1903
Huile sur panneau - 85 x 128 cm
Allemagne, collection particulière

His best known work is The Spirit of the Forest, which is often reproduced in books on the Symbolist movement and is held by the Museum of Fine Arts in Nantes.

Whereas Symbolism stressed feeling and evocation over definition or fact and emphasized the power of suggestion, Maxence's aesthetic was more concerned with the creation of decorative surface through a deployment of detail. Maxence often enriched the surface of his works with gold or silver foil and mounted them in elaborate frames of his own design. Some of his larger mystical works have commanded very high prices at auction.

After his death a quantity of still lifes and delicate landscapes were found hidden away in his studio, similar to the one shown here. These were mounted in a retrospective exhibition and were much admired. He came late to impressionism, but these smaller, more casual sketches may prove to be more pleasing to modern tastes than the elaborate productions of his youth.

A Romanesque Church Near Cannes, France
Signed and dated 1926, with inscription, L.L.
Inscription: "Hommage très cordial à Monsieur A. Caprame, maire de Cannes."
("Dedicated cordially to Monsieur A. Caprame, mayor of Cannes."