Art Criticism - The State University of New York
Art Criticism - The State University of New York
Art Criticism - The State University of New York
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fection in Moreau's work, as exemplified in the overt praise <strong>of</strong> the latter's<br />
painting in much <strong>of</strong> his prose: "He has smitten a whole generation <strong>of</strong> artists,<br />
yearning today for otherworldliness and mysticism."11<br />
Does the overwhelming appeal <strong>of</strong> Moreau's art among these decadent<br />
authors warrant the charge <strong>of</strong> decadence against his art? In the discussion<br />
<strong>of</strong> the lionization <strong>of</strong> Moreau's art by the decadent literary circle, I will<br />
consider a broad spectrum <strong>of</strong> Moreau's works, with the aim <strong>of</strong> establishing<br />
commonalities, and ultimately to determine if his ceuvre can be described as<br />
entirely decadent. <strong>The</strong> charges <strong>of</strong> artificiality, deviation from the laws <strong>of</strong> nature,<br />
perverse or unnatural treatment <strong>of</strong> the women and the passions, and the<br />
rejection <strong>of</strong> modem life, will be made against Moreau's art. I will suggest that<br />
the charge <strong>of</strong> decadence in art can result in differing verdicts depending on the<br />
period when the charge is made. For this reason, and as in any fair trial, any<br />
exonerating circumstances will be taken into consideration in the final judgment.<br />
ll.lHECASEFOR lHE DECADENCE OF GUSTAVE MOREAU'S ART<br />
<strong>The</strong> artist Gustave Moreau (1826 - 1889) studied at the Ecole des<br />
Beaux-<strong>Art</strong>s in Paris and with the romantic artist <strong>The</strong>odore Chasseriau. In keeping<br />
with tradition, he spent three years in Italy studying the works <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Renaissance masters. He achieved moderate success in his early Salon exhibitions,<br />
and his first noteworthy success in the Salon <strong>of</strong> 1864 with Oedipus and<br />
the Sphinx. Moreau dealt primarily with mythological themes in an overtly<br />
erudite and allegorical manner. His work is marked by a progression from relatively<br />
simple scenes to an ever-increasing preponderance <strong>of</strong> detail in his later<br />
paintings. Moreau reworked his canvases frequently and his unfinished works<br />
greatly outnumber the finished ones. He lived a life <strong>of</strong> near solitude and devoted<br />
his entire energies to his work. From 1891 until his death he was a<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor in the Ecole des Beaux-<strong>Art</strong>s, where Matisse and Rouault numbered<br />
among his students. Virtually all <strong>of</strong> Moreau's work is preserved. During his<br />
lifetime he had several large exhibition galleries built above his house, which<br />
he bequeathed to the state.<br />
Moreau studied and assimilated art from ancient Rome through to the<br />
nineteenth century. Although in Moreau's mind, and in reality, his work was<br />
"reverently dependent on artistic tradition,"12 he was "most affected by the<br />
paintings and sculpture <strong>of</strong> Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci."13 In his<br />
continuing endeavor to produce an imaginary world and evocative effect, he<br />
<strong>of</strong>ten combined many different influences, including "illuminated manuscripts<br />
and sets <strong>of</strong> Persian, Indian and Japanese prints."14 <strong>The</strong> landscapes <strong>of</strong> Leonardo<br />
are evident in the blurred, rocky chasms and gorges found in Oedipus and the<br />
Sphinx (1864). In fact, the background landscape in an overwhelming number<br />
vol. 17, no. 1 59