Maurice Denis - Le spirituel dans l'art

French language

At the age of 15, Maurice Denis wrote in his Diary: "Yes, I must be a Christian painter [...], I feel I must. [...] First I'll write my notes [...]. And then I will do Art, mass Art, in everything and everywhere. I will gorge myself, I will get drunk on this pure and holy enjoyment, this sweet life, if desired, of an artist." An incoercible vocation, where faith, art and love - his wife Martha is at the heart of his work - compose a holy trinity that Jean-Paul Bouillon brilliantly analyses. After having created the group of Nabis of which he is the theoretician, Denis laid the foundations of neo-traditionism in 1890. From the Muses to the Tribute to Cézanne, from his familiar places, Saint-Germain-en-Laye his native town, Brittany his chosen land, to the many beach scenes, Maurice Denis never stops painting, between joie de vivre and Christian meditation. With the 20th century, a period of intense production began for him: he illustrated many works, revived the tradition of great monumental painting, and became one of the most important decorators of his time.
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