Pierre Puvis de Chavannes

Infobox Artist
name = Pierre Puvis de Chavannes


imagesize = 151px
caption = Pierre-Cécile Puvis de Chavannes, c. 1880, after a negative by Étienne Carjat
birthname =
birthdate = birth date|1824|12|14|mf=y
location = Paris, France
deathdate = death date and age|1898|10|28|1824|12|14|mf=y
deathplace = Paris, France
nationality = French
field = Painting, Drawing
training =
movement = Symbolism
works = "Death and the Maiden", "The Dream", "The Poor Fisherman"
patrons =
awards =

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, (14 December 1824 – 24 October 1898), was a French painter, who became the president and co-founder of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts and whose work influenced many other artists.

Life

He was born Pierre-Cécile Puvis de Chavannes in Lyon, Rhône, France, the son of a mining engineer, descendant of an old family of Burgundy. Pierre Puvis was educated at the Lyons College and at the Lycee Henri IV in Paris, and was intended to follow his father's profession when a serious illness interrupted his studies. A journey to Italy opened his mind to fresh ideas, and on his return to Paris in 1844 he announced his intention of becoming a painter, and went to study first under Eugène Delacroix, Henri Scheffer, and then under Thomas Couture. It was not until a number of years later, when the government of France acquired one of his works, that he gained wide recognition.

In Montmartre, he had an affair with one of his models, Suzanne Valadon, who would become one of the leading artists of the day as well as the mother, teacher, and mentor of Maurice Utrillo.

Work

His work is seen as symbolist in nature, even though he studied with some of the romanticists, and he is credited with influencing an entire generation of painters and sculptors. One of his protégés was Georges de Feure.

Puvis de Chavannes is noted for painting murals, several of which may be seen at the "Hôtel de Ville" ("City Hall") in Paris, the Sorbonne, and the Paris Panthéon, and at Poitiers, as well as at the Boston, Massachusetts Public Library in the United States.

Puvis de Chavannes was president and co-founder in 1890 of the "Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts" ("National Society of Fine Arts") founded in Paris. It became the dominant salon of art at the time and held exhibitions of contemporary art that was selected only by a jury composed of the officers of the Société.

Those who translated best the spirit of the work of Pierre-Cécile Puvis de Chavannes' in their own creations were, in Germany, the painter Ludwig von Hofmann ["See" www.lvh.ch, site in Ger., Engl., Port.)] and in France, Auguste Rodin. [ "See" the study "Poemas e pedras", by Rita Rios, São Paulo, to be published in 2007.]

His easel paintings also may be found in many American and European galleries. Some of these paintings are,
*"Death and the Maiden"
*"The Dream"
*"The Poor Fisherman"
*"Vigilance"
*"The Meditation"
*"Mary Magdalene at Saint Baume"
*"Saint Genoveva"
*"Young Girls at the Seaside"
*"Mad Woman at the Edge of the Sea"
*"Hope"
*"Kneeling nude woman, viewed from back"
*"The Sacred Grove"

Puvis de Chavannes prize

Beginning in 1926, The "Prix Puvis de Chavannes" (Puvis de Chavannes prize) was awarded by the National Society of Fine Arts ("Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts"). The "Prix Puvis de Chavannes" is the retrospective exhibition in Paris of the main works of the artist awarded the prize that year. During the twentieth century, this exhibition was located at the Grand Palais or the "Musée d'Art Moderne".

The most famous painters who have been awarded the prize are, 1941: Wilhem Van Hasselt, 1944: Jean Gabriel Domergue, 1952: Tristan Klingsor, 1955: Georges Delplanque, 1957: Albert Decaris, 1958: Jean Picard Le Doux, 1963: Maurice Boitel, [ [http://www.mauriceboitel.com Home page of Maurice Boitel] ] 1966: Pierre Gaillardot, 1968:Pierre-Henry, 1969:Louis Vuillermoz, 1970: Daniel du Janerand, 1971: Jean-Pierre Alaux; 1975: Jean Monneret, and for 1987: André Hambourg. [Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Biennale 1991, Grand Palais, année du centenaire, catalogue pages 8 and 9]

Gallery

Further reading

* Shaw, Jennifer L., "Dream States: Puvis De Chavannes, Modernism, and the Fantasy of France" (2002), Yale University Press, ISBN 0-300-08382-3

References

External links

* [http://www.artcyclopedia.com/gallery/puvis_de_chavannes_pierre.html Commercial Art Gallery Guide]
* [http://www.artchive.com/artchive/P/puvis.html Pierre Puvis de Chavannes at artchive.com]
*