Studio: international art (19.1900)

Louis Morin

ILLUSTRATION FOR THE "FIGARO ILLLUSTRE "

BY LOUIS MORIN

them. Morin was also a friend of Jules Cheret's
brother Joseph, the admirable artist in clay, who
died prematurely to the intense regret of all who
knew him.

In 1889 Morin took his annual holiday in
Brittany with two friends, being joined afterwards
by Jules Cheret. First they spent a few days at
Beg-Meil, travelling thence through old Armorique,
drinking deep of all the enchanting and picturesque
scenery around, and profiting largely by the lesson
that magic land offers to all who have eyes to see.
It was a fine holiday, and produced an abundant
harvest of rare impressions.

The following year the same little party found
themselves in their favourite spot, Venice, and
Cheret had to be initiated into the mysteries of
that marvel of life and art. Afterwards, however,
the constant round of work prevented Morin from
indulging in these salutary and instructive excur-
sions. It was about this period he succumbed to
the fascinations of the pastel—a happy circumstance
to which we owe many lovely works. Moreover
thanks to the influence of certain art publishers,
notably Conquet and Rouquette, it became the
fashion among our bibliophiles, or bibliomaniacs,
to demand that Morin should put pen-drawings or
water-colours in the margins of their treasures, in
order to make them altogether-unique. Many a
library contains examples of the precious work
thus produced by Louis Morin.

In 1890, the "Chat Noir" being then at its
zenith, Salis invited Morin to produce some
shadow-pictures. The result was seen the same
year in his Carnaval de Venise (produced in
collaboration with Maurice Vaucaire), Pierrot
Pornographe (1892), Le Roi debarque (1894),
and Richepin's L'honnete Gendarme (1896)—a
series of little scenes remarkable for humour and
biting criticism, wrapt up in the airiest guise. In
1891, other ombres by Morin, styled Au Dahomey
were presented by the artist to the Musee Grevin.

Still Morin stuck to his pen and his pencil, and
began a fresh series with Vieille Idylle, a set of
delicate original etchings published by Conquet.
These were followed by Le Petit Chieti de la
Marquise (Theophile Gautier), Les Cerisettes
(1892), a light treatise on the little ouvrferes of
Paris; Charles Nodier's Le Dernier chapitre de
mon roman ; the Vingt masques of M. Vaucaire,
and the Dimanches Parisiens, a fine study by
Morin, enhanced by Lepere's tasteful wood-blocks.
All this time Morin had kept up his connection
with the "Revue Illustre'e," the "Figaro Illustre,"
and the "Saint-Nicolas," and to the last-named

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