Christa Giles

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remain in our minds, partially because it was only after the
publication of A rebours that Moreau’s works became
extremely well known. In his art criticism Huysmans
focussed on the fact that Moreau had ˝d’éléments épars
créer une forme qui est maintenant à lui.˝ 514 And, as we
have seen, this union of a unique and original personality
and the expression that personality takes (the form) was, in
Wilde’s and Huysmans’ perception, the hallmark of
creative genius.
In A rebours Moreau’s paintings became synonymous
with the idea of an escape from the mediocrity and
materialism of the day into an exotic other world. But
another world, it is important to note, which utilized ancient
myths in a modern way, expressing them in a ˝langue
persuasive et superbe mysterieuse et neuve.˝ 515 In L’Art
moderne Huysmans stresses the importance of ˝modernity,˝ 516
even in terms of subject matter, but eventually comes to the
conclusion that a new treatment constituted modernity.
Quite apart from his painterly language Moreau’s thematic
preoccupations appealed to Wilde and Huysmans. The
alienated artist figure, the femme fatale, the sense of mystery
were all preoccupations of the Decadent artist, and
consequently ˝modern.˝ In Certains, Huysmans encapsulates