Maurice Denis

Author(s): Anna Seaton-Schmidt

Source: Art and Progress , Aug., 1914, Vol. 5, No. 10 (Aug., 1914), pp. 347-351
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Stable URL: http://www.jstor.com/stable/20561214

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ART AND PROGRESS
VOLUME V AUGUST 1914 NUMBER 10

APOLLO DIRECTING THE FROLIC OF THE GRACES

A MURAL PAINTING BY MAURICE DENIS

MAURICE DENIS
BY ANNA SEATON-SCHMIDT

IN studying the artistic development

these illuminating studies of modern art
of Maurice Denis one is reminded ofin its making, meanwhile producing his
masterly mural decorations, easel pic
Carlyle's words, "Genius is the capacity
for taking infinite pains." Much tures is and illustrations. The fecundity
written of the Bohemian revels of Paris,
of his creative power is only equaled by
but men whose names are destined to hisen seemingly unlimited capacity for pro
duction. Among his latest works are the
dure have no time to participate in them.
All the great artists whom I have had decorations for the new Theatre des
the honor of knowing have been tre Champs 1lysees wherein are summed up
mendous workers, intellectual giants, the accomplishments of a life time. Not
who believed that in order to produce a very long life, counting by years, but
anything worthy of consideration a man Maurice Denis is the child of his age and
must be a profound thinker, possessed his mental development, his grasp of
of much knowledge and broad human modern problems has been of hot-house
sympathies. At the age of nineteen growth. In the variety, the restraint,
Denis, who had been studying technique the intellectual concept of these mural
paintings we are reminded of some of
in the Julian School for two years, was
Raphael's noblest compositions; yet they
engaged in writing philosophical articles
on art which he published under the are intensely modern in treatment.
nom de plume of Pierre Louis. Music, dancing, the art of representa
For twentv years he has continued tion give unlimited scope to the painter's
347
COPYRIGHT 1914 BY THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF ARTS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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348 ART AND PROGRESS
imagination; that he has restrained
lowing of theseitartists by
within the limits of architectural
endowed withexpres
none of the
sion, that his most frivolous
copiedfigures befaults and
all their
ofistheir
long to their surroundings, qualities; but he
the triumph
of his intelligence over thethe
with emotional
gifted students in
temperament of the artist.the teachings of many o
It is a long call from"Copy
these nature.
serious Paint wh
original."
decorations to the theoretical Dead platitud
tentatives
of the undisciplined youth
to satisfy
who threw
the ardent na
himself with such fervoryoung painters
into the ranks who long
great so
of the Symbolists and fought works and found n
valiantly
against worn-out academic dogmas.
tion nor If
enlightenment in
it is true that this little coterie
studies of perpe
the Julian Sch
trated many atrocities as inpictures
the name inof
the yearly
progress it is no less demanded
a fact that the
something mo
much-abused Symbolists infused
tion,- life, aan
new
ideal. The s
ofof
breath of life into the art Gauguin appealed to
the nineties
and sowed the seed which tions. What
today Manet had
is bear
painters
ing good fruit in Paris. "The firstof 1870 this mo
Salons
of the Independants, the olutionist was the
new reviews, to those of
Sunday Concerts, united him in
tothe same to Van G
Cezanne,
faith, in the movement of truth,
termed of elemental b
Symbol
ever
ism, all those young artists their
whom mistakes
the old at le
realism no longer satisfied.
sincere. We pre
Unfortunately,
lowedimpression
ferred Cezanne to all other by a host of paras
ists because, with the same love of
majority of life,
whom were an
neurasthenics."
he possessed more style, more of the The pen
French tradition. Whatfar indeedCezar
Wagner, from the old
rendering
Frank, Mallarme, Verlaine, of
were for nature; no
the
more
young musicians and poets of unlike her calm sere
that time,
Cezanne and Gauguin were for us-nor
nightmare dreams of wo
must one forget our cultists for
whoPuvis debelieved t
falsely
Chavannes, he who alone inghad
awayperpetu
from academi
ated in the Salons the traditions of the
hastily dashing paint on c
great world painters. That
ing eccentric
was a periodmethods t
the public,
forever to be blessed, for, in spitethey
of could b
many absurdities, there was chaotic
their developing
emotions, as
pendence
from the general confusion and thus
of ideas a beco
inal artists! "A vast p
sort of classic renaissance."
It was at this time mediocrities,"
that Serusier wrote that
ics,
founded the now famous Baudelaire,
Nabis dinners, "the res
where with Denis, Roussel, Vuillard,
chic liberty which glorifie
no matter
Bonnard and a few other how feeble
congenial
Against
"revolutionists" he discussed this
those universal a
ideas
of Cezanne, Van Gogh andhe
which Gauguin
believes to be le
which have since had such tremendous
ity and decadence, Mauric
influence on modern art fighting.
and whichHe recognizes
in
cipline,
spired the first articles of tradition
Maurice Denis. are the
Through the eyes of this all young
sincere enthu
effort, that tru
siast "one sees at last the
comemanifestation
in art as in nature,
tion not revolution,
of an art that is sane, spontaneous and and
believed by
strong, exempt from subtleties so-me
and de to be an
formities." Even at that time no is
velopment, oneonly the m
deplored more than he the blind
formity to anfol
absolute or

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THE BACCHANTES MAURICE DENIS
LE TIIEATRE DES CHAMPS ELYSEES

soul all
In the latest works ofthe valu
this pai
feel the influence of the Gr
unconsciously de
Italians, the French classics,
Certainly his ow
that of Cezanne,
fullyVan Gogh, tG
mirrored
whom he stillacter.
claimsBorn
to bein 1
th
uators of theamong
French the youn
traditi
ing that these those
threewhose styl
men have
Valuable
modern art from as have
the bondage
and brought itof back to its true
his genius muc
the full fruitio
that of the imagination.
"There has never
Carriere
been hea grea
draw
who was not wife
also a and childr
great poe
painters of painters, Rembra
much as models
tions,
bens, Corot, were occurring
never cont
mere work
technicians no as do the
matter m
how
Convinced that
Thepainting is a
reverential t
through which love
thefor
truethe youn
artist
his most sacred ideas
found and em
expression
nas,
holds that mere whileof
copies the
natj
nothing to doofwith art, that
his little peop
paint with theidyls
heartthat so rad
as well as
ings for
eyes because "from the which t
artist's
349

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 *-L

SONG TO THE MADONNA. MIORN'ING FIESOL.E MAURICE DENIS

must therefore know something renewing

of his spirit of spring. The pain
beautiful home life in order toseem to have blossomed forth from
compre
architecture, so perfectly do they re
hend the spirit of his work, environment
having had much to do, not onlvthe form
with theand character, not only o
room,
subjects, but with the character but of the house and its surr
of this
artist's paintings. ing lawns and gardens. Against the
Happily, his house is situated in one of flowering trees danc
background
of the loveliest suburbs ofsing Paris-St.
and play hundreds of youthfu
Germain-en-Lay. Seen throughures, nude or clad in shining white
the com
prehending eyes of a poetments. Neither trees nor figures
what elo
copied from
quence of line, what orchestration of nature, yet how real
are!garden
color the surrounding hills and A part of the eternal spring
lands of France reveal. The tender
joy, of ecstacy, of an unclouded d
greens and pinks of the apple life! No reproduction in black and w
orchards,
can or
cool and fragrant in the twilight convey
suf any idea of the vibra
color,
fused with roseate lights in the dawn,the luminous atmosphere that
municates
are reflected in his enchanting back i palpitating life to the e
design. To believe in the vitalit
ground of the "Eternal Spring"-a
Frenchfor
series of mural paintings executed art, in the sane evolution
the dining room of Monsieur painting,
Thomas in one has only to see such w
Bellevue. uniting as it does the great traditio
This is one of his most successful
past mural decoration with the mo
science
household decorations. The walls of light and atmosphere.
of the
Maurice Denis is justly famed for
large, well-lighted room are completely
superb
covered with his ,apotheosis of architectural paintings; but
the ever
350

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 MINNESOTA HISTORY IN STAINED GLASS 351
interpreter of Biblical subjects he stands
so naively tender, that they deserve to
alone. "The last truly religious painter
be classed with the works of the Angelic
of modern times," declares Arsene Painter
Alex of Fiesole.
andre, after studying his decorationsNo
inbetter summary of this artist's ac
the church at Vesinet which he places
complishment can be written than his
"among the most beautiful, of modern
own words in praise of his painter friend
paintings because they combine twoHenri-Edmond
ele Cross. "Little by little
ments-that which attracts and his capti
art evolved toward an apparently
vates and that which endures. Theygreater
are personal liberty, in reality
the work of an artist, a thinker andtoward
also a new order whose success marks
of a believer, which is rare and which
the triumph of' the synthetic spirit over
endows him with an exceptional powerthe analytical, of the imagination over
reality, of' man over nature. He had
in our day, when so little of conviction,
of thought, and even of art, is exacted
participated with youthful audacity in
of our painters." an important movement in the evolution.
Among the loveliest expressions ofof
modern art; out of all the confusion'
Denis' religious belief are his water-color
and ignorance he was able to extract the
illustrations for "The Life of St. fundamental
Fran principles which he has em
cis," recently exhibited in Paris. His ployed
long in his greatest works. Here he
residence in Italy, his love of the Primi
attains to a degree of surprising splen
tives, his sympathetic comprehension dorofbecause- his intelligence has trans
the teachings of this "little brother offormed,
the enlarged his technique and dis
poor" have enabled him to reproduce the
ciplined his emotions in the service of.
a more and more noble art." Very true,
spirit and mystic beauty of the teachings
of St. Francis in a manner so charming, indeed, is this of Maurice Denis.

MINNESOTA HISTORY IN STAINED GLASS

BY C. THIEBAULT

AIL art is necessarily symbolical. unanimous

It in styling a unique work of
art. It is no exaggeration to say that
is an attempt to body forth certain
ideas which present themselves to the for originality of design, dignity of
artist as living realities. These ideas
treatment, and accuracy of detail, this
may be gleaned fronm various sources.window can hardly be rivaled in the
United States. It marks a new departure
They may have their root in the rich soil
of the artist's own soul, or they may in
be American ecclesiastical art, drawing,
as it does, its inspiration from a field
culled from the pages of history sacred
or profane. But whatever their origin,that has hitherto been practically un
if the work be destined to live, they tilled, namely, the religious history of
MNlinnesota.
must glow with the warm colors of imag
ination, and be informed with the undyThe visitor, gazing at the window,
ing spirit of Truth. finds himself reading once more some of
In the Church of St. Anthony, the most stirring chapters of that his
tory. The principal scene recalls a cer
Brown's Valley, Minnesota, was -re
tain day in June, 1680, when Father
cently installed a stained-glass window,
Louis Hennepin, first Catholic mission
in which these conditions are admirably
ary of Minnesota, stood on the banks of
fulfilled. It is the work of Mr. Robert
the Mississippi on the site of the pres
T. Giles of Minneapolis. Taking for his
ent city of Minneapolis, and gave their
subject "The Advance of Civilization and
Christianity in Minnesota," Mr. Giles name to the now familiar Falls of St.
Anthony. Garbed in the severe habit
has produced that which all visitors are

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