Paul Marc Joseph Chenavard: Artist of 1848 by Joseph C. SloaneReview by: Theodore E. KlitzkeArt Journal, Vol. 23, No. 2 (Winter, 1963-1964), p. 182Published by: College Art AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/774527 .

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Joseph C. Sloane

Paul Marc Joseph Chenavard: Artist of 1848, xiv + 214 pp., 36 ill. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1962. $6.00

Baudelaire once described Chenavard as a man "who has not yet received all the justice which is his due, and whose brain, although as fog-ridden as the fuliginous sky of his na- tive city, contains a whole host of admirable things."

Joseph Sloane in his slender but impressive book has perhaps not been able to give Chena- vard all the justice which Baudelaire may have felt was due the painter, but the author has succeeded in throwing considerable light on an

enigmatic figure of the 19th century French art world. While the reviewer suspects that most of those historians who are interested in Chenavard have become so because of the high regard in which he was held by Delacroix, as evidenced in his Journal, Mr. Sloane indicates that it was a poor reproduction of Chenavard's Divine Comedy that he stumbled upon some fifteen years ago that first stirred his interest in the painter-philosopher from Lyon.

Though he was the butt of every dauber's jokes (according to Baudelaire), Chenavard moved as a surprisingly influential figure in the salons of Paris; he was obviously one of those men who inspire others but who produce little of a concrete nature themselves. For ex- ample, he was the president of the "Friday Club," which included Corot, Barye, Troyon, Paul de Musset, Daumier, and Viollet le Duc among its members, and they all admired and

respected him. Mr. Sloane is careful to emphasize that

this book is not intended to be a biography of an artist of major gifts, but that it is rather an essay in the history of ideas-actually the interplay of the ideas of a man and the fate of a building, the Pantheon. The author, after a lucid introduction. devotes separate chapters to "The Pantheon," "The Shrine of Great Men," "The Theory of History," "The Background," "The Reaction," "The Divine Tragedy," "The Later Years," and "The Judgment of Obliv- ion." Each of these is developed in consider- able detail, though after the first three chap- ters the author concentrates on the man and his ideas. Of all these chapters, the one called "The Background," which deals with the sources of Chenavard's theories in the Ger- man-oriental-occult movement in French letters of the 19th century, bears the closest reading, though this reviewer suspects that most readers will be content to peruse the preceding sum- marizing chapter, "The Theory of History," and skip the detailed and involved tracing of influences that makes up "The Background."

In considering the Pantheon, Mr. Sloane illuminates well the antithetical structural fea- tures of this "shrine of great men," as well as the contradictory purposes Soufflot's build- ing was expected to serve; the reader can only agree with the author's contention that before the first stones of the foundation were laid, the project was the victim of both its times and the purposes it was expected to ful- fill. Insofar as the decoration for the Pan- theon is concerned, the author, in an intrigu-

Joseph C. Sloane

Paul Marc Joseph Chenavard: Artist of 1848, xiv + 214 pp., 36 ill. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1962. $6.00

Baudelaire once described Chenavard as a man "who has not yet received all the justice which is his due, and whose brain, although as fog-ridden as the fuliginous sky of his na- tive city, contains a whole host of admirable things."

Joseph Sloane in his slender but impressive book has perhaps not been able to give Chena- vard all the justice which Baudelaire may have felt was due the painter, but the author has succeeded in throwing considerable light on an

enigmatic figure of the 19th century French art world. While the reviewer suspects that most of those historians who are interested in Chenavard have become so because of the high regard in which he was held by Delacroix, as evidenced in his Journal, Mr. Sloane indicates that it was a poor reproduction of Chenavard's Divine Comedy that he stumbled upon some fifteen years ago that first stirred his interest in the painter-philosopher from Lyon.

Though he was the butt of every dauber's jokes (according to Baudelaire), Chenavard moved as a surprisingly influential figure in the salons of Paris; he was obviously one of those men who inspire others but who produce little of a concrete nature themselves. For ex- ample, he was the president of the "Friday Club," which included Corot, Barye, Troyon, Paul de Musset, Daumier, and Viollet le Duc among its members, and they all admired and

respected him. Mr. Sloane is careful to emphasize that

this book is not intended to be a biography of an artist of major gifts, but that it is rather an essay in the history of ideas-actually the interplay of the ideas of a man and the fate of a building, the Pantheon. The author, after a lucid introduction. devotes separate chapters to "The Pantheon," "The Shrine of Great Men," "The Theory of History," "The Background," "The Reaction," "The Divine Tragedy," "The Later Years," and "The Judgment of Obliv- ion." Each of these is developed in consider- able detail, though after the first three chap- ters the author concentrates on the man and his ideas. Of all these chapters, the one called "The Background," which deals with the sources of Chenavard's theories in the Ger- man-oriental-occult movement in French letters of the 19th century, bears the closest reading, though this reviewer suspects that most readers will be content to peruse the preceding sum- marizing chapter, "The Theory of History," and skip the detailed and involved tracing of influences that makes up "The Background."

In considering the Pantheon, Mr. Sloane illuminates well the antithetical structural fea- tures of this "shrine of great men," as well as the contradictory purposes Soufflot's build- ing was expected to serve; the reader can only agree with the author's contention that before the first stones of the foundation were laid, the project was the victim of both its times and the purposes it was expected to ful- fill. Insofar as the decoration for the Pan- theon is concerned, the author, in an intrigu-

Joseph C. Sloane

Paul Marc Joseph Chenavard: Artist of 1848, xiv + 214 pp., 36 ill. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1962. $6.00

Baudelaire once described Chenavard as a man "who has not yet received all the justice which is his due, and whose brain, although as fog-ridden as the fuliginous sky of his na- tive city, contains a whole host of admirable things."

Joseph Sloane in his slender but impressive book has perhaps not been able to give Chena- vard all the justice which Baudelaire may have felt was due the painter, but the author has succeeded in throwing considerable light on an

enigmatic figure of the 19th century French art world. While the reviewer suspects that most of those historians who are interested in Chenavard have become so because of the high regard in which he was held by Delacroix, as evidenced in his Journal, Mr. Sloane indicates that it was a poor reproduction of Chenavard's Divine Comedy that he stumbled upon some fifteen years ago that first stirred his interest in the painter-philosopher from Lyon.

Though he was the butt of every dauber's jokes (according to Baudelaire), Chenavard moved as a surprisingly influential figure in the salons of Paris; he was obviously one of those men who inspire others but who produce little of a concrete nature themselves. For ex- ample, he was the president of the "Friday Club," which included Corot, Barye, Troyon, Paul de Musset, Daumier, and Viollet le Duc among its members, and they all admired and

respected him. Mr. Sloane is careful to emphasize that

this book is not intended to be a biography of an artist of major gifts, but that it is rather an essay in the history of ideas-actually the interplay of the ideas of a man and the fate of a building, the Pantheon. The author, after a lucid introduction. devotes separate chapters to "The Pantheon," "The Shrine of Great Men," "The Theory of History," "The Background," "The Reaction," "The Divine Tragedy," "The Later Years," and "The Judgment of Obliv- ion." Each of these is developed in consider- able detail, though after the first three chap- ters the author concentrates on the man and his ideas. Of all these chapters, the one called "The Background," which deals with the sources of Chenavard's theories in the Ger- man-oriental-occult movement in French letters of the 19th century, bears the closest reading, though this reviewer suspects that most readers will be content to peruse the preceding sum- marizing chapter, "The Theory of History," and skip the detailed and involved tracing of influences that makes up "The Background."

In considering the Pantheon, Mr. Sloane illuminates well the antithetical structural fea- tures of this "shrine of great men," as well as the contradictory purposes Soufflot's build- ing was expected to serve; the reader can only agree with the author's contention that before the first stones of the foundation were laid, the project was the victim of both its times and the purposes it was expected to ful- fill. Insofar as the decoration for the Pan- theon is concerned, the author, in an intrigu-

ing composite photograph of the interior, into which Chenavard's grisaille cartoons are in- serted, ventures to demonstrate that Chena- vard's cartoons would have been more effec- tive than those of Puvis de Chavannes; the re- viewer is not convinced, and doubts that one mural is much to be preferred to the other; the opinions of several colleagues in the arts, who were shown the comparison, seem to bear this out. As a matter of fact, the tonal values of the two photographs are quite different, and the one utilized to show Chenavard's murals in place is a bit more ingratiating in tone than the other.

Chenavard certainly studied with Ingres, but it is not known for how long. Yet in the style of such a work as the "Divine Tragedy" (Fig. 24), one feels that Ingres' influence is strong. At any rate, one recommendation made by the master of Montauban did have a profound in- fluence on Chenavard: Ingres suggested that he go to Italy for a study of the Renaissance mas- ters, advice which was followed almost at once; the trip, according to Mr. Sloane, af- fected Chenavard profoundly. It may also have been from Ingres (or Hersent?) that Chena- vard inherited his pictorial dryness; however, be that as it may, it is likely, as the author observes, that Chenavard's pictorial dryness "was not a matter of inability, it was a con- scious choice." It was a conscious choice be- cause he preferred the portrayal of ideas to what might be called the expressiveness of form, and this in itself placed him outside the mainstream of 19th century developments in painting.

That Chenavard was, at least at times, a painter of real gifts can be seen in his oil sketch, "The National Convention" (Fig. 31), which owes much to Delacroix. One wishes he might have developed in this direction. He wrote: "A man must think of something more than painting, for if he studies nothing else, he will paint almost nothing of value on his canvases, and heaven knows there are enough mental daubers." That is true, but Chenavard should also have known that ideas alone are also not enough. Unfortunately for him, the failure of his own career as a painter was proof of that.

THEODORE E. KLITZKE

University of Alabama

Adrian Chappuis

Die Zeichnungen von Paul Cezanne im Kupfer- stichkabinett Basel, 2 vols., 126 pp., 156 pl. Olten and Lausanne: Urs Graf Verlag, 1962. S.F. 75

In recent years the knowledge of Cezanne as a draftsman has made headway. John Re- wald has published two of his sketchbooks, Adrian Chappuis has presented two volumes on his drawings, one of them on his own col- lection, and the reviewer has gathered one hundred drawings in a volume with a discus- sion of this specific aspect of Cezannes art. Thus we can understand today more clearly his strug- gle for "realisation" and trace the gradual emer- gence of his pictorial themes.

To these publications is now added the pres- entation of the pages from two sketchbooks owned by the Basel Kupferstichkabinett and

ing composite photograph of the interior, into which Chenavard's grisaille cartoons are in- serted, ventures to demonstrate that Chena- vard's cartoons would have been more effec- tive than those of Puvis de Chavannes; the re- viewer is not convinced, and doubts that one mural is much to be preferred to the other; the opinions of several colleagues in the arts, who were shown the comparison, seem to bear this out. As a matter of fact, the tonal values of the two photographs are quite different, and the one utilized to show Chenavard's murals in place is a bit more ingratiating in tone than the other.

Chenavard certainly studied with Ingres, but it is not known for how long. Yet in the style of such a work as the "Divine Tragedy" (Fig. 24), one feels that Ingres' influence is strong. At any rate, one recommendation made by the master of Montauban did have a profound in- fluence on Chenavard: Ingres suggested that he go to Italy for a study of the Renaissance mas- ters, advice which was followed almost at once; the trip, according to Mr. Sloane, af- fected Chenavard profoundly. It may also have been from Ingres (or Hersent?) that Chena- vard inherited his pictorial dryness; however, be that as it may, it is likely, as the author observes, that Chenavard's pictorial dryness "was not a matter of inability, it was a con- scious choice." It was a conscious choice be- cause he preferred the portrayal of ideas to what might be called the expressiveness of form, and this in itself placed him outside the mainstream of 19th century developments in painting.

That Chenavard was, at least at times, a painter of real gifts can be seen in his oil sketch, "The National Convention" (Fig. 31), which owes much to Delacroix. One wishes he might have developed in this direction. He wrote: "A man must think of something more than painting, for if he studies nothing else, he will paint almost nothing of value on his canvases, and heaven knows there are enough mental daubers." That is true, but Chenavard should also have known that ideas alone are also not enough. Unfortunately for him, the failure of his own career as a painter was proof of that.

THEODORE E. KLITZKE

University of Alabama

Adrian Chappuis

Die Zeichnungen von Paul Cezanne im Kupfer- stichkabinett Basel, 2 vols., 126 pp., 156 pl. Olten and Lausanne: Urs Graf Verlag, 1962. S.F. 75

In recent years the knowledge of Cezanne as a draftsman has made headway. John Re- wald has published two of his sketchbooks, Adrian Chappuis has presented two volumes on his drawings, one of them on his own col- lection, and the reviewer has gathered one hundred drawings in a volume with a discus- sion of this specific aspect of Cezannes art. Thus we can understand today more clearly his strug- gle for "realisation" and trace the gradual emer- gence of his pictorial themes.

To these publications is now added the pres- entation of the pages from two sketchbooks owned by the Basel Kupferstichkabinett and

ing composite photograph of the interior, into which Chenavard's grisaille cartoons are in- serted, ventures to demonstrate that Chena- vard's cartoons would have been more effec- tive than those of Puvis de Chavannes; the re- viewer is not convinced, and doubts that one mural is much to be preferred to the other; the opinions of several colleagues in the arts, who were shown the comparison, seem to bear this out. As a matter of fact, the tonal values of the two photographs are quite different, and the one utilized to show Chenavard's murals in place is a bit more ingratiating in tone than the other.

Chenavard certainly studied with Ingres, but it is not known for how long. Yet in the style of such a work as the "Divine Tragedy" (Fig. 24), one feels that Ingres' influence is strong. At any rate, one recommendation made by the master of Montauban did have a profound in- fluence on Chenavard: Ingres suggested that he go to Italy for a study of the Renaissance mas- ters, advice which was followed almost at once; the trip, according to Mr. Sloane, af- fected Chenavard profoundly. It may also have been from Ingres (or Hersent?) that Chena- vard inherited his pictorial dryness; however, be that as it may, it is likely, as the author observes, that Chenavard's pictorial dryness "was not a matter of inability, it was a con- scious choice." It was a conscious choice be- cause he preferred the portrayal of ideas to what might be called the expressiveness of form, and this in itself placed him outside the mainstream of 19th century developments in painting.

That Chenavard was, at least at times, a painter of real gifts can be seen in his oil sketch, "The National Convention" (Fig. 31), which owes much to Delacroix. One wishes he might have developed in this direction. He wrote: "A man must think of something more than painting, for if he studies nothing else, he will paint almost nothing of value on his canvases, and heaven knows there are enough mental daubers." That is true, but Chenavard should also have known that ideas alone are also not enough. Unfortunately for him, the failure of his own career as a painter was proof of that.

THEODORE E. KLITZKE

University of Alabama

Adrian Chappuis

Die Zeichnungen von Paul Cezanne im Kupfer- stichkabinett Basel, 2 vols., 126 pp., 156 pl. Olten and Lausanne: Urs Graf Verlag, 1962. S.F. 75

In recent years the knowledge of Cezanne as a draftsman has made headway. John Re- wald has published two of his sketchbooks, Adrian Chappuis has presented two volumes on his drawings, one of them on his own col- lection, and the reviewer has gathered one hundred drawings in a volume with a discus- sion of this specific aspect of Cezannes art. Thus we can understand today more clearly his strug- gle for "realisation" and trace the gradual emer- gence of his pictorial themes.

To these publications is now added the pres- entation of the pages from two sketchbooks owned by the Basel Kupferstichkabinett and

taken apart, resulting in 211 more or less un- known drawings and thereby raising the num- ber of known drawings to more than one thousand. This is in itself a remarkable fact because Cezanne drawings were practically un- known until about thirty years ago. The ex- emplary publication consists of one volume of catalogue descriptions together with repro- ductions of works of art pertaining to the drawings and one volume of reproductions of the Basel drawings. M. Chappuis, due to his love for and familiarity with the subject, seems the ideal person for such a publication.

To the student of the artist the aspects of the "Romantic" youthful Cezanne will offer new insights. Yet the greatest surprise will undoubtedly be his incessant sketching after sculptures in the collection of casts then as- sembled in the Trocadero. Does the painter merely exercise his hand or does he feel him- self into the self-assurance and grand-eloquence of the preceding centuries?

The text consists of a concise and informa- tive eleven page introduction dealing with the place of the drawing in his oeuvre and with the very complicated problem of chronology for which the author has an experienced eye as well as the help of some recent studies. There follow seven lists, in four of which the relation to Venturi's numerical system in his Catalogue raisonne is established, two in which the origin of the drawings in the two sketch- books is given and one with the chronological sequence of the drawings according to their numbers.

What these sketchbooks reveal is probably not so much a genuine draftsman but one of the most impassioned seekers for the essence of form in the visible world.

ALFRED NEUMEYER

Mills College

Camilla Gray

The Great Experiment: Russian Art 1863-1922, 327 pp., 257 pl. (24 in color) New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1962. $25.00

An initial interest in Suprematism and Con- structivism started Miss Gray upon an inten- sive study of modern Russian art. The contrast between "artist-priest" and "artist-engineer" which she discerned in the ideology of these two movements prompted her-as she tells us -to search back as far as 1863 for historical precedent. Plunging deeply into rare and elu- sive source material she examined this unfa- miliar area of art history with diligence and considerable ingenuity. Miss Gray presents her material freshly in a book which is readable, up-dated, and handsomely illustrated.

The contrast between priest and engineer, between art as a spiritual activity for the elite as opposed to art as propaganda for the masses, is a fascinating leit-motif. Many lead- ing critics today take a position which is squarely placed in either area. Some, like Sir Kenneth Clark or Arnold Hauser, do this openly; others do it unconsciously or obliquely; and a few argue that the issue is tendentious, an improper confusion of art and politics, and the result of static nineteenth century dichoto- mization. Whatever the case may be, Miss

taken apart, resulting in 211 more or less un- known drawings and thereby raising the num- ber of known drawings to more than one thousand. This is in itself a remarkable fact because Cezanne drawings were practically un- known until about thirty years ago. The ex- emplary publication consists of one volume of catalogue descriptions together with repro- ductions of works of art pertaining to the drawings and one volume of reproductions of the Basel drawings. M. Chappuis, due to his love for and familiarity with the subject, seems the ideal person for such a publication.

To the student of the artist the aspects of the "Romantic" youthful Cezanne will offer new insights. Yet the greatest surprise will undoubtedly be his incessant sketching after sculptures in the collection of casts then as- sembled in the Trocadero. Does the painter merely exercise his hand or does he feel him- self into the self-assurance and grand-eloquence of the preceding centuries?

The text consists of a concise and informa- tive eleven page introduction dealing with the place of the drawing in his oeuvre and with the very complicated problem of chronology for which the author has an experienced eye as well as the help of some recent studies. There follow seven lists, in four of which the relation to Venturi's numerical system in his Catalogue raisonne is established, two in which the origin of the drawings in the two sketch- books is given and one with the chronological sequence of the drawings according to their numbers.

What these sketchbooks reveal is probably not so much a genuine draftsman but one of the most impassioned seekers for the essence of form in the visible world.

ALFRED NEUMEYER

Mills College

Camilla Gray

The Great Experiment: Russian Art 1863-1922, 327 pp., 257 pl. (24 in color) New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1962. $25.00

An initial interest in Suprematism and Con- structivism started Miss Gray upon an inten- sive study of modern Russian art. The contrast between "artist-priest" and "artist-engineer" which she discerned in the ideology of these two movements prompted her-as she tells us -to search back as far as 1863 for historical precedent. Plunging deeply into rare and elu- sive source material she examined this unfa- miliar area of art history with diligence and considerable ingenuity. Miss Gray presents her material freshly in a book which is readable, up-dated, and handsomely illustrated.

The contrast between priest and engineer, between art as a spiritual activity for the elite as opposed to art as propaganda for the masses, is a fascinating leit-motif. Many lead- ing critics today take a position which is squarely placed in either area. Some, like Sir Kenneth Clark or Arnold Hauser, do this openly; others do it unconsciously or obliquely; and a few argue that the issue is tendentious, an improper confusion of art and politics, and the result of static nineteenth century dichoto- mization. Whatever the case may be, Miss

taken apart, resulting in 211 more or less un- known drawings and thereby raising the num- ber of known drawings to more than one thousand. This is in itself a remarkable fact because Cezanne drawings were practically un- known until about thirty years ago. The ex- emplary publication consists of one volume of catalogue descriptions together with repro- ductions of works of art pertaining to the drawings and one volume of reproductions of the Basel drawings. M. Chappuis, due to his love for and familiarity with the subject, seems the ideal person for such a publication.

To the student of the artist the aspects of the "Romantic" youthful Cezanne will offer new insights. Yet the greatest surprise will undoubtedly be his incessant sketching after sculptures in the collection of casts then as- sembled in the Trocadero. Does the painter merely exercise his hand or does he feel him- self into the self-assurance and grand-eloquence of the preceding centuries?

The text consists of a concise and informa- tive eleven page introduction dealing with the place of the drawing in his oeuvre and with the very complicated problem of chronology for which the author has an experienced eye as well as the help of some recent studies. There follow seven lists, in four of which the relation to Venturi's numerical system in his Catalogue raisonne is established, two in which the origin of the drawings in the two sketch- books is given and one with the chronological sequence of the drawings according to their numbers.

What these sketchbooks reveal is probably not so much a genuine draftsman but one of the most impassioned seekers for the essence of form in the visible world.

ALFRED NEUMEYER

Mills College

Camilla Gray

The Great Experiment: Russian Art 1863-1922, 327 pp., 257 pl. (24 in color) New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1962. $25.00

An initial interest in Suprematism and Con- structivism started Miss Gray upon an inten- sive study of modern Russian art. The contrast between "artist-priest" and "artist-engineer" which she discerned in the ideology of these two movements prompted her-as she tells us -to search back as far as 1863 for historical precedent. Plunging deeply into rare and elu- sive source material she examined this unfa- miliar area of art history with diligence and considerable ingenuity. Miss Gray presents her material freshly in a book which is readable, up-dated, and handsomely illustrated.

The contrast between priest and engineer, between art as a spiritual activity for the elite as opposed to art as propaganda for the masses, is a fascinating leit-motif. Many lead- ing critics today take a position which is squarely placed in either area. Some, like Sir Kenneth Clark or Arnold Hauser, do this openly; others do it unconsciously or obliquely; and a few argue that the issue is tendentious, an improper confusion of art and politics, and the result of static nineteenth century dichoto- mization. Whatever the case may be, Miss

ART JOURNAL XXIII 2 182 ART JOURNAL XXIII 2 182 ART JOURNAL XXIII 2 182

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.49 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 07:04:17 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions