Paul Sérusier
was bom in 1864 in Paris and died in 1927 at Morlaix. A painter
as well as a teacher (at the Jullian and Ranson Academies), he also
translated L'Esthétique of Beron (paris : Bibliothèque
de I'Occident, 1905) written by Désidérius Lenz, alias
Father Didier and wrote A B C of Painting (Paris: La Douce
France and Henry Floury, 1921). Besides, he kept up a regular
correspondence with Maurice Denis, Jean Verkade, Paul Gauguin, Odilon
Redon... which was parthy reproduced in the 2d and 3d editions of
A B C of painting (Paris: Librairie Floury, 1942 and 1950).
J.D.'s discovery in the summer of 1941 of
Sérusier's paintings and particulary his writings - he died
fourteen years before - had a great influence on his work (The
Golden Section, the two palettes - a cold and a warm one- tempera,
etc.). If the stylistic and formal influence did not last longer than
eighteen months, the spiritual ascendavey of the theoretician of the
nabi movement always remained. In 1941, at Quimper, he scribbled
on the back of the list of the paintings exhibited in the hall of
the Nédelec-Peugeot garage: |
| " Sunday 10th August (... ) During the last
few days, I saw Mrs Sérusier at Châteauneuf-du-Faou.
She allowed Estienne and myself to turn upside down any painting
likely to appeal to us. I saw amazing and very stimulating
things which made me think at the same time that I might not
be so wrong to paint like that. Of course, Sérusier
did not sell anything while hewas alive. I had rather
not do the same. " |
On 15th June 1967, he wrote to Georges
Richar :
| " Sérusier's influence, I still notice
it in my latest works. The result is obviously quite different,
but it is deeply rooted. " |
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