Aristide Maillol (1861-1944)

Aristide Joseph Bonaventure Maillol (December 8, 1861 - September 27, 1944) was a French visual artist. He was a sculptor, painter, medalist, draftsman, woodcarver, lithographer, tapestry designer and etcher.Life and workMaillol was born in Roussillon, near the Spanish border near the Mediterranean Sea. He came from a family of winegrowers, fishermen and smugglers. His mother tongue was Catalan and he spoke French with a strong accent. Early period From 1881 he studied painting in Paris. Initially he was not admitted to the cole des Beaux Arts with the advice to first follow a basic training at the _cole des Arts Decoratifs. Later he took lessons with Jean-L_on G_r_me and in 1885 he finally graduated with Alexandre Cabanel at the _cole des Beaux Arts. The paintings of his contemporaries Pierre Puvis de Chavannes and Paul Gauguin made a deep impression on him. He joined Les Nabis, the group around Paul S_rusier, Maurice Denis and Pierre Bonnard. Like his fellow group members, he tried to innovate in his paintings. Yet he realized that his greatest talent did not lie in painting. He soon gained fame for his original designs of tapestries. Gauguin, the painter he most looked up to, especially expressed his admiration for this. In 1893 Maillol started a tapestry weaving business at his home in Banyuls. He employed women from the village, including the sisters Clotilde and Ang_lique Narcisse, and used dyes prepared by himself. Due to lack of money, but mainly because of an eye disease caused by the weaving work, Maillol was forced to give up the carpet weaving business. He went back to Paris. Clotilde Narcisse succeeded him and became his wife in July 1896. In October of that year their son Lucien (1896-1972) was born, who became a painter.SculptorFrom 1895 he studied sculpture with _mile-Antoine Bourdelle. He started with terracotta sculptures and from 1900 he worked first in wood, later in clay and bronze. His first major sculpture dates from 1902. Clotilde was the model for this statue of a seated woman. In his early years she often posed for him. Later he had many other models, much to her jealousy. Also in 1902 the influential art dealer Ambroise Vollard organized the first exhibition devoted to Maillol. Once he had found his own neoclassical style, he hardly developed it further. For forty years his method remained more or less the same. He has depicted exclusively the human figure, mainly female nudes, which are inspired by early antique sculpture (fifth century BC). His images are always polished smooth. The massiveness of the forms does not stand in the way of mobility, elegance and sensuality. Maillol's figurative art has played an important role in the development of sculpture. He did not follow the impressionism of Auguste Rodin, although he did experience his influence. Rodin admired the purity of his work. Maillol is regarded as a trailblazer for the work of other important artists such as Jean Arp, Constantin Br_ncu?i and Henry Moore.Other workIn addition to his sculptures, he also made illustrations for special book editions. Virgil's Bucolica was published in 1927, published by Harry Kessler and illuminated with woodcuts by Maillol. In 1937 he illustrated an edition of Longus' Daphnis en Chlo and in 1939 of Verlaines Chansons pour elle.Dina Vierny When he was 73, Maillol met a girl from Moldavi_, the then fifteen-year-old Dina Vierny (1919-2009), actually called Dina Aibinder. She became his model, muse and platonic girlfriend during the last ten years of his life. During World War II she joined Varian Fry and guided anti-fascist refugees through the Pyrenees. Although Maillol did not fully share her political views, he pointed out the smuggling routes (later known as the "Voie Maillol"). When she was arrested for these activities, Maillol hired a lawyer who got her out. In 1943 the Gestapo again arrested the Jewish Dina, but because Maillol made use of his contacts with Arno Breker, whom he had known since the latter's Paris years 1927-1934, she escaped deportation and was released after six months. End Aristide Maillol emerged in September 1944. Died in a traffic accident at the age of 82. During a rainstorm, the car in which he was a passenger skidded and overturned.Posthumously After World War II, Maillol's reputation in France had suffered from his friendship with Arno Breker, who was Hitler's favorite sculptor. Some saw him as a collaborator. Dina Vierny, who escaped the Gestapo thanks to that friendship, successfully fought for his posthumous reparation. She had a good relationship with Maillol's wife Clotilde, although she was known for her fierce jealousy towards all his models. After Clotilde's death in 1952, Dina was allowed to share the inheritance with Lucien. She became an art dealer and continued to promote Maillol's work until her death. In 1966 she donated eighteen statues of Maillol to the French State, which were permanently installed in the Tuilerie_n and inaugurated by Andr_ Malraux, then the Minister of Culture under President De Gaulle. She also founded the Mus_e Maillol in Paris, which opened its doors in 1995. It is located in Faubourg Saint-Germain (61 Rue de Grenelle). She also turned his former studio into a museum in Banyuls-sur-Mer. She had her house restored, a few kilometers outside the village.source: Wikipedia