DOI issue:
No. 53 (July, 1901)
DOI article:Mourey, Gabriel: The work of Jean-François Raffaëlli
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.22775#0023
emphatically no 1 And
the same with regard to
our aristocracy, our grand
national sentiments, our
latter- day idols. “ Where,
then,” demands M. Raf-
faelli, “is the Beauty of
our present condition ? ”
And his answer is—“Its
Beauty lies in the indi-
vidual character of men
—of those men who by
slow degrees have gained
their reason, who have
won their liberty, after
hundreds of centuries
of misery and vexation
and pitiful affliction, with
the strongest ever having
the upper hand. There
we have the Beautiful! ”
nought but the memory of a man who was passion-
ately fond of his art and did portraits in blacklead
pencil.”
As for Realism, “ it was an expression as big
as false as a stage rock,” and M. Raffaelli proceeds
to pronounce judgment on Gustave Courbet,
whose style he pronounces “ too invariably
classical.” “ Realism,” he continues, “ regarded
literally, is neither more nor less than the very
negation of art.” Realist, then, M. Raffaelli will
decidedly not be, nor Naturalist, nor Impressionist.
“ I dislike Naturalism,” he says, “in the first place,
for reasons of colour ; it is too purely scientific for
us.” As regards Impressionism, the author of the
brochure in question admits that “ he has been too
much mixed up with its manifestations to be able
to discuss it without prejudice.” What, then, is M.
Raffaelli ? He must be the apostle of the “ beau
caractbriste,” as he terms it. For, in his own bold
words, “ there is no beauty in Nature;
beauty resides in characterBy which I
understand him to mean that all artistic
beauty owes its value to the individual
character of its interpreter. But where
is this beau caracteriste to be found by the
artist of to-day, all the springs of loveliness,
as our forefathers understood the term, being
dry ? At what source will the painter of
to-morrow discover the wherewithal to in-
spire him ? What is there Beautiful in our
democratic state ? In our army ? No !
In our kings and grandees ? Still more
8
DRAWING FROM BY JEAN-FRANCOIS RAFFAELLI
“ TYPES DE PARIS ”
f By Permission of MM. PI on, Nourrit et Cie.)
Jean-Francois Raffaelli
DEUX VIEUX CANONNIERS
BY JEAN-FRANCOIS RAFFAELLI
the same with regard to
our aristocracy, our grand
national sentiments, our
latter- day idols. “ Where,
then,” demands M. Raf-
faelli, “is the Beauty of
our present condition ? ”
And his answer is—“Its
Beauty lies in the indi-
vidual character of men
—of those men who by
slow degrees have gained
their reason, who have
won their liberty, after
hundreds of centuries
of misery and vexation
and pitiful affliction, with
the strongest ever having
the upper hand. There
we have the Beautiful! ”
nought but the memory of a man who was passion-
ately fond of his art and did portraits in blacklead
pencil.”
As for Realism, “ it was an expression as big
as false as a stage rock,” and M. Raffaelli proceeds
to pronounce judgment on Gustave Courbet,
whose style he pronounces “ too invariably
classical.” “ Realism,” he continues, “ regarded
literally, is neither more nor less than the very
negation of art.” Realist, then, M. Raffaelli will
decidedly not be, nor Naturalist, nor Impressionist.
“ I dislike Naturalism,” he says, “in the first place,
for reasons of colour ; it is too purely scientific for
us.” As regards Impressionism, the author of the
brochure in question admits that “ he has been too
much mixed up with its manifestations to be able
to discuss it without prejudice.” What, then, is M.
Raffaelli ? He must be the apostle of the “ beau
caractbriste,” as he terms it. For, in his own bold
words, “ there is no beauty in Nature;
beauty resides in characterBy which I
understand him to mean that all artistic
beauty owes its value to the individual
character of its interpreter. But where
is this beau caracteriste to be found by the
artist of to-day, all the springs of loveliness,
as our forefathers understood the term, being
dry ? At what source will the painter of
to-morrow discover the wherewithal to in-
spire him ? What is there Beautiful in our
democratic state ? In our army ? No !
In our kings and grandees ? Still more
8
DRAWING FROM BY JEAN-FRANCOIS RAFFAELLI
“ TYPES DE PARIS ”
f By Permission of MM. PI on, Nourrit et Cie.)
Jean-Francois Raffaelli
DEUX VIEUX CANONNIERS
BY JEAN-FRANCOIS RAFFAELLI