Ernest Chaplet

This is an oil painting by the French painter Maurice Denis (1870-1943). I was unsure of its authenticity so I contacted Fabienne Stahl, an authority on his works and responsible for the compilation of the Catalogue Raisonné de L’oeuvre de Maurice Denis.

Apparently the painting had not been seen previously by her but she was able to confirm its authenticity and to date the painting to 1905 based on a sketch “Porte des Grenades” in the their collection.

Checking online I discovered a recent photo of the Porte des Grenades and am amazed that the painter’s viewpoint holds true.

Here is some further information about the artist: Maurice Denis attended the Académie Julian with Paul Sérusier and Pierre Bonnard, who had shared ideas about painting. Through Bonnard he met additional artists, including Édouard Vuillard, Paul Ranson, Ker-Xavier Roussel and Hermann-Paul. In 1890 they formed a group which they called the Nabis, taken from “Nabi”—Hebrew for “Prophet”. Their philosophy was based upon the philosophy of positivism. Denis described it in 1909: “Art is no longer a visual sensation that we gather, like a photograph, as it were, of nature. No, it is a creation of our spirit, for which nature is only the occasion.”

I was fortunate to be in Paris on April 30th to attend the Artcurial unveiling of an exceptional collection of paintings, drawings, and art objects from the Marie & Félix Bracquemond collection. The auction, Marie & Félix Bracquemond, Un couple au service des Arts, was held in the magnificent historic Hôtel Marcel Dassault in Paris. My only prior knowledge of the artists was that Félix Bracquemond created ceramics with Ernest Chaplet in 1875.

During my stay, I visited the Musée d’Orsay exhibition Paris 1984, Inventing Impressionism. There were several works on display by both Marie & Félix Bracquemond. It was very exciting to discover artists that were previously unknown to me.

Félix Bracquemond (May 22, 1833 – October 27, 1914) was a towering figure in nineteenth-century French printmaking, winning the Grand prix de gravure at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900. He formed a bridge between the Barbizon School and the Impressionists, having close links with both groups. His wife, Marie (December 1, 1840 – January 17, 1916) was a French Impressionist artist. Henri Focillon described Bracquemond in 1928 as one of “les trois grandes dames” of Impressionism alongside  Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt.

At the Artcurial auction I purchased a 5.31 x 7.08 inch pen and brown ink drawing by Félix Bracquemond titled “Passants sur le pont Alexandre III” (Passers-by on the Alexandre III bridge). I also visited the Pont Alexandre III  Bridge. A wonderful experience, an adventure worth remembering!