DOI Heft:
No. 56 (November, 1897)
DOI Artikel:Uzanne, Octave: On the drawings of M. Georges de Feure
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18390#0129
Georges De Fenre
On the earth, beneath the Demon's feet we see canvases are thus not pictures in the ordinary sense
poor humanity writhing in terrible convulsions, —that is to say, his painting has none of the thick-
harassed by sickness and misery, hunger, madness, ness or the brilliant varnished surface common to
suicide, ambition, greed, hysteria, murder, warfare, ordinary work of the kind, as taught in the schools,
jealousy, and hate. Rather they are wonderful tapestry cartoons, of
In the foreground, among the wretched throng, great breadth, absolutely pure in design, and exqui-
stands Death, gigantic, calm, all-powerful, watching site in their range of colouring.
and waiting. Even those of the public who know and admire
This, it will be seen, is a return to the philo- Georges de Feure scarcely appreciate him at his
sophic, intellectual, and decorative painting of proper value, rather regarding him as an illustrator, a
the masters of the fifteenth century. De Feure, decorator, a designer of posters who has done much
however, does not seek to use his brush in good work in Le Courrier, Le Messager Francais,
what may be called the "professional" mode of La Butte, Le Boulevard, and other of the new
painting ; all he seems to attempt is the precise, illustrated publications.
delicate, and distinguished style of the fresco, with As for his poster work, he has put his name to a
its sharp, bold outlines, using his colours with score of polychrome placards, some of which have
great effect, and putting them on quite flat. His become valuable as rarities among collectors.
Among his most success-
ful works of this kind are
La Loie Fuller, Salome,
the Palais Lndien, and
Lzita. The last named
was illustrated in The
Studio for December
1896. Despite the great
number of artists now en-
gaged in this work, De
Feure has made his mark
by sheer ability ; moreover
his work bears little resem-
blance to that of any other
artist.
In lithography he has
done innumerable pleasing
little things—menus, in-
vitation-cards, book covers,
and many curious plates,
such as Les Trois Mendi-
autes dans la Foret,
Entree des Vices dans la
Ville, La Voix du Mai,
Finfini, Le dernier Amant,
Fleur de la Greve, L1 amour
Sanglant, and Vamour
Aveugle; and a few litho-
graphs in black, like La
J^rincesse Maleine, which
have all the air of some
romantic scene from
"Faust" by a Celcstin
Nanteuil or an Eugene
1 )elacroix.
De Feure is at present
la charmeuse d'oiseaux " from a drawing by georges de feure engaged in preparing, as
I O I
On the earth, beneath the Demon's feet we see canvases are thus not pictures in the ordinary sense
poor humanity writhing in terrible convulsions, —that is to say, his painting has none of the thick-
harassed by sickness and misery, hunger, madness, ness or the brilliant varnished surface common to
suicide, ambition, greed, hysteria, murder, warfare, ordinary work of the kind, as taught in the schools,
jealousy, and hate. Rather they are wonderful tapestry cartoons, of
In the foreground, among the wretched throng, great breadth, absolutely pure in design, and exqui-
stands Death, gigantic, calm, all-powerful, watching site in their range of colouring.
and waiting. Even those of the public who know and admire
This, it will be seen, is a return to the philo- Georges de Feure scarcely appreciate him at his
sophic, intellectual, and decorative painting of proper value, rather regarding him as an illustrator, a
the masters of the fifteenth century. De Feure, decorator, a designer of posters who has done much
however, does not seek to use his brush in good work in Le Courrier, Le Messager Francais,
what may be called the "professional" mode of La Butte, Le Boulevard, and other of the new
painting ; all he seems to attempt is the precise, illustrated publications.
delicate, and distinguished style of the fresco, with As for his poster work, he has put his name to a
its sharp, bold outlines, using his colours with score of polychrome placards, some of which have
great effect, and putting them on quite flat. His become valuable as rarities among collectors.
Among his most success-
ful works of this kind are
La Loie Fuller, Salome,
the Palais Lndien, and
Lzita. The last named
was illustrated in The
Studio for December
1896. Despite the great
number of artists now en-
gaged in this work, De
Feure has made his mark
by sheer ability ; moreover
his work bears little resem-
blance to that of any other
artist.
In lithography he has
done innumerable pleasing
little things—menus, in-
vitation-cards, book covers,
and many curious plates,
such as Les Trois Mendi-
autes dans la Foret,
Entree des Vices dans la
Ville, La Voix du Mai,
Finfini, Le dernier Amant,
Fleur de la Greve, L1 amour
Sanglant, and Vamour
Aveugle; and a few litho-
graphs in black, like La
J^rincesse Maleine, which
have all the air of some
romantic scene from
"Faust" by a Celcstin
Nanteuil or an Eugene
1 )elacroix.
De Feure is at present
la charmeuse d'oiseaux " from a drawing by georges de feure engaged in preparing, as
I O I