DOI issue:
No. 49 (April, 1897)
DOI article:Mourey, Gabriel: A decorative modeller: Alexandre Charpentier
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18388#0167
A Decorative Modeller
indeed a little masterpiece of workmanship, showing, originality and freshness from this gaufring process,
quite apart from its other merits, a distinct gift in in which the Japanese have shown such astonishing
the direction of simplicity and sanely human feeling facility. He has appropriated the method, and
—a return, as it made it his own, by his special manner of utilising
were, to that which /~' it. The matrix of these gaufrages consists of corn-
is healthy and live /yf' J' -p^f j*/^p^V pressed cigarette papers, and thus, notwithstanding
and normal, after all f.,. ' * •' • *"^t its power of resistance, it retains a certain suppleness,
the intricacies and f C**"* < which enables the artist to obtain considerable
unwholesome \-s '-"-•••> effects of relief, without tearing the gaufred paper,
subtleties of some j The results are most charming, as the impressions
of our aesthetic j ':jr^fr*-ir. ,k f" preserve all the clearness and delicacy of the matrix,
schools. \ An excellent example of this work is seen in La
Alexandre Char- %. | :pW Femme entrant au bain; the modelling is perfect,
pentier is interested mmmt^mmlll^ an(j ^ iow_rei;ef effects display extraordinary
in every branch of embossed design cleverness. The foreshortening of the naked back,
industrial art. The by a. charpentier the head, turned almost beyond the profile line—
firm of Fontaine has everything about it is full of life, and interpreted
executed in bronze several of his designs—locks, with supreme artistic power. The same may be
door-plates, door-knobs, and door-sashes. One of said of his Femme sortantde I'eau (page 165)—with
his locks depicts a boy paint- an almost imperceptible relief,
ing, another a young girl .^S2555f^^^^^v5v\. which nevertheless suffices to
working at a piece of sculp- /yjjfimF?^^' V reveal the outlines of a body—
ture. A girl playing the pan- vNjj^Kp- an(l others of the same kind,
pipes is seen on one of his exquisite things, with the pallid
knobs, and on a second is a V £ fVjJBj^B human form just discernible
lad singing. On a door-plate I If against the immaculate white-
is a woman standing, and j tfJ^f.,,, ness of the paper.
playing the violoncello, on - "J^SmKr Other gaufrages he has
another she is performing on i Bfl^)0«^^ done in leather—a blotting-
the bar]). Here once more y- Jr pad (La file a la flew), a
the artist has adapted himself ^MHK< portfolio (Le Matin) for in-
to the demands of his mate- ^^i^j^ggts^^^m*^^y stance, being very interesting
rial. He has not attempted specimens. Some of his
to be novel in the way of dis- embossed design by a. charpentier efforts in tooling bindings also
covering strange and compli- deserve attention. Charpen-
cated designs ; but has contented himself with deco- tier here, as everywhere, shows individuality and
rating the objects themselves, with the most exquisite sometimes novelty
simplicity and refinement. The two locks are real > ggB»gBM - j^MiSflWSISK °^ treatment> while
works of art, so beautifully executed as to recall the c y * ~ \. always confining
great traditions of the Renaissance. j£\ himself strictly and
Nor has Book-art been neglected by M. Char- gs£--. . ^Pjjtjixi. " conscientiously to
pentier, as his filagree for the paper used in M. Ijfrtv T^SjfpBlf l'1C rc(lmrcmcnts
James Tissot's La Vie de N. S. Jesus Christ, pub- 7***' jMkdUCM;.-, of his work,
lished by the firm of Mame, will testify. It rcpre- ' J^KSHrlll Thus it will be
sents Christ at the Tomb, and is full of character. ., "W^^'r seen that the theory
A thousand dainty little inventions are due to j-■■"W, &mr'% °' " Art for arts
him. In place of the hideously commonplace -t^Utrs!rssake" has nothing
letter headings used by business firms, he has de- isl^ -""V jfjp M whatever to do with
vised a sort of artistic gaufring like those used by §ip%^ ' -Jf '-.d tn's artist's work;
the Imprimerie Lemercier, the Tuilerics d'Lvry, . A—il^j and lie prolKibly
the Cafe Procope, and the Estampe Originate, not . • > > 'if.- BB considers such an
forgetting the cards of admission to the Libre tSHHllH^Hfl^HHI idea both false and
Esthctiquc, the programmes of the Theatre Libre, &c. futile, for in his
■ . r 0 embossed design
Charpentier can get surprising results of great bv a._ charpentier e)'es applied art is
161
indeed a little masterpiece of workmanship, showing, originality and freshness from this gaufring process,
quite apart from its other merits, a distinct gift in in which the Japanese have shown such astonishing
the direction of simplicity and sanely human feeling facility. He has appropriated the method, and
—a return, as it made it his own, by his special manner of utilising
were, to that which /~' it. The matrix of these gaufrages consists of corn-
is healthy and live /yf' J' -p^f j*/^p^V pressed cigarette papers, and thus, notwithstanding
and normal, after all f.,. ' * •' • *"^t its power of resistance, it retains a certain suppleness,
the intricacies and f C**"* < which enables the artist to obtain considerable
unwholesome \-s '-"-•••> effects of relief, without tearing the gaufred paper,
subtleties of some j The results are most charming, as the impressions
of our aesthetic j ':jr^fr*-ir. ,k f" preserve all the clearness and delicacy of the matrix,
schools. \ An excellent example of this work is seen in La
Alexandre Char- %. | :pW Femme entrant au bain; the modelling is perfect,
pentier is interested mmmt^mmlll^ an(j ^ iow_rei;ef effects display extraordinary
in every branch of embossed design cleverness. The foreshortening of the naked back,
industrial art. The by a. charpentier the head, turned almost beyond the profile line—
firm of Fontaine has everything about it is full of life, and interpreted
executed in bronze several of his designs—locks, with supreme artistic power. The same may be
door-plates, door-knobs, and door-sashes. One of said of his Femme sortantde I'eau (page 165)—with
his locks depicts a boy paint- an almost imperceptible relief,
ing, another a young girl .^S2555f^^^^^v5v\. which nevertheless suffices to
working at a piece of sculp- /yjjfimF?^^' V reveal the outlines of a body—
ture. A girl playing the pan- vNjj^Kp- an(l others of the same kind,
pipes is seen on one of his exquisite things, with the pallid
knobs, and on a second is a V £ fVjJBj^B human form just discernible
lad singing. On a door-plate I If against the immaculate white-
is a woman standing, and j tfJ^f.,,, ness of the paper.
playing the violoncello, on - "J^SmKr Other gaufrages he has
another she is performing on i Bfl^)0«^^ done in leather—a blotting-
the bar]). Here once more y- Jr pad (La file a la flew), a
the artist has adapted himself ^MHK< portfolio (Le Matin) for in-
to the demands of his mate- ^^i^j^ggts^^^m*^^y stance, being very interesting
rial. He has not attempted specimens. Some of his
to be novel in the way of dis- embossed design by a. charpentier efforts in tooling bindings also
covering strange and compli- deserve attention. Charpen-
cated designs ; but has contented himself with deco- tier here, as everywhere, shows individuality and
rating the objects themselves, with the most exquisite sometimes novelty
simplicity and refinement. The two locks are real > ggB»gBM - j^MiSflWSISK °^ treatment> while
works of art, so beautifully executed as to recall the c y * ~ \. always confining
great traditions of the Renaissance. j£\ himself strictly and
Nor has Book-art been neglected by M. Char- gs£--. . ^Pjjtjixi. " conscientiously to
pentier, as his filagree for the paper used in M. Ijfrtv T^SjfpBlf l'1C rc(lmrcmcnts
James Tissot's La Vie de N. S. Jesus Christ, pub- 7***' jMkdUCM;.-, of his work,
lished by the firm of Mame, will testify. It rcpre- ' J^KSHrlll Thus it will be
sents Christ at the Tomb, and is full of character. ., "W^^'r seen that the theory
A thousand dainty little inventions are due to j-■■"W, &mr'% °' " Art for arts
him. In place of the hideously commonplace -t^Utrs!rssake" has nothing
letter headings used by business firms, he has de- isl^ -""V jfjp M whatever to do with
vised a sort of artistic gaufring like those used by §ip%^ ' -Jf '-.d tn's artist's work;
the Imprimerie Lemercier, the Tuilerics d'Lvry, . A—il^j and lie prolKibly
the Cafe Procope, and the Estampe Originate, not . • > > 'if.- BB considers such an
forgetting the cards of admission to the Libre tSHHllH^Hfl^HHI idea both false and
Esthctiquc, the programmes of the Theatre Libre, &c. futile, for in his
■ . r 0 embossed design
Charpentier can get surprising results of great bv a._ charpentier e)'es applied art is
161