Gustave Moreau:
Magic and Symbols – Geneviève Lacambre (1999)
Often, it is the small
books that provide the most information.
Such is the case with this sumptuously illustrated volume exploring the
life and art of Gustave Moreau. One of
publisher Harry N. Abrams’ “Discoveries” series, an amazing set of
introductory books on Literature, Science, Art, and the Ancient World, this
book benefits greatly from its erudite author, Geneviève Lacambre, previously
the long-time director of the Musée National Gustave Moreau in Paris. First-hand knowledge is awesome! I much prefer reading the adoring words of an
artist’s true admirer than the critical skewering which passes for art history
these days.
I spent 2/3 of my time
at University studying for my major, Studio Art, specifically oil
painting. I spent 1/3 of my time taking
classes for my Art History minor. In all
that time, I was not introduced to the work of Gustave Moreau. What a shame! Gustave Moreau, through supreme
talent, practice, and pure willpower, created a synthesis of old-world myth,
christian allegory, and his own innate creativity which served as the vanguard
for the Symbolist movement of the very early 1900’s. Much like the best artists, Moreau sought not
to pander to the then-current and always-fickle tastes of the populace, or to
the increasingly short-sighted ideas of the established Parisian Salons. He sought to portray universal truths and
wisdom, without overtly explaining his compositions.
Seen as an inspiration
by many younger painters, Moreau never sought direct categorization of his
style and work. Even so, the path he
carved through the world of painting led to the formation of the Symbolist
movement in art. These painters, much
younger than Moreau, with many of them studying under him as assistants, used
his techniques of theme, composition, and color to try and pull the art world
away from the two main pillars of the time, Naturalism, and Impressionism. The Naturalists sought to portray the
inherent beauty of nature, life, and the world around us without embellishment,
subtext, or mytho-historical context.
The Impressionists sought to portray the gossamer, fleeting,
ever-changing nature of light upon the natural world, and specifically the way
that light entered the human eye to create image and form. Neither used the classic masters as
inspiration, which Moreau explicitly did.
They also never sought to create narrative works, something Moreau
excelled at, imbuing his art with a deep sense of history, myth, religion,
fable, and the inherent human truths those forms espouse.
Gustave Moreau was an
obsessive personality. He made
countless sketches before he sought to portray anything in oil. Moreau was one of the first fine artists to
utilize watercolor paints as a finished product, whereas most artists of the
time used watercolors for preliminary sketches.
In time, Moreau’s watercolor works sold just as well as his finished oil
pieces, owing to his masterful and riotous use of color. He also chose not to sell, or even exhibit,
his favorite paintings, choosing to keep them for himself. Who else would appreciate them as intensely? Truly a bad-ass of the highest caliber.
Moreau eventually began
teaching art at the École des Beaux-Arts, and according to the testimony of his
many students, he was an inspiring and engaging instructor. Some of the greats of 20th century
art studied under Moreau, giants such as Henri Matisse, Georges Rouault, and
Henri Evenepoel. Unlike many great
artists who also taught, Moreau never demanded his students follow his personal
style or ideas. He sought to have them
each develop their own view, their own style, something that could never be
taken from them. This was far different
from the other art professors at Beaux-Arts, most of whom were strictly
academic painters, seeking to render the natural world and not the inner tumult
of human experience.
If there is a lesson to
be learned from Moreau it is that an artist must seek their own internal,
thematic guidance. For writers, the
dictum is “write what you know,” which is a fair one, as readers can
immediately tell when an author is speaking about a topic they have no personal
experience with. I believe this should
also apply to visual artists. While many
artists seek to defend their explorations, they often end up forcing a theme,
or leaving their work feeling slapdash and incomplete. Moreau loved the classical myths, and drew
inspiration from them, re-purposing their symbols and allegories, combining them
with christian themes and allegories, all the while portraying his subjects in
a lavish way, almost overwhelming the viewer with attention to detail. It is the exact opposite of minimalism, and
his style influenced the Symbolists who followed.
The amazing result of
Gustave Moreau’s failure to sell much of his work, mostly by choice, is that
upon his death, he left his entire collection, home, and studio to the country
of France. Several years after his
passing, the paperwork went through, and the Musée National Gustave Moreau
opened in Paris, where it remains to this day, a time capsule of, and a
testament to, one of the most imaginative painters of his generation. I hope to someday visit it, and see in person
these large, impressive works of art.
Until then, books such as these will be my companion.
