Marcel Chabas—the Transfiguration (illustration Project)

1925 - Watercolor over pencil lines

Studio stamp on the back, titled, with annotations and numbered 558/20

A native of Brest, Marcel Chabas first trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Lyon before moving to Paris in the late 1910s. There he joined the Académie Ranson, where he studied under great Nabis masters such as Maurice Denis and Paul Sérusier. Nicknamed “the rebellious one” by his classmates, he adopted the pseudonym Chabas-Chigny to avoid being confused with the painters Paul and Maurice Chabas.

A regular participant in the capital’s major art events (the Salons des Indépendants, d’Automne, and des Tuileries), he won over critics in the 1920s with the spontaneity, liveliness, and originality of his brushwork. While he painted landscapes and still lifes, he also drew inspiration from biblical stories and literature—notably illustrating works by Baudelaire, Edgar Allan Poe, and *Le Calvaire du soldat* by Abel Moreau (1922). During World War II, he put his artistic skills to work for the Resistance.
The artist’s use of watercolor here is remarkable. The colors are soft and diluted, creating fluid transitions that lend an ethereal effect to the shades of white, golden yellow, bright blue, washed-out red, and yellow-ochre. The paper itself, slightly textured and weathered by time, contributes to the work’s mysterious atmosphere. The pencil line is light, barely visible, suggesting a spontaneous sketch and an exploration of forms

This drawing attests to Chabas-Chigny’s technical mastery and his deep interest in spiritual and biblical themes, interpreted through a personal and symbolist vision. The work exudes a spiritual tension and a sense of the sacred, while retaining a certain, almost theatrical humanity in the expression of the characters’ emotions.