Maurice Chabas (1862-1947) - Reverie

Maurice Chabas (1862-1947)
Rêverie
Oil on canvas
38 x 55 cm
Signed lower right

Maurice Chabas is a French Symbolist painter born in Nantes in 1862 and died in Versailles in 1947. he is the brother of portrait painter Paul Chabas. Trained at the Académie Julian, where he had as professors William Bouguereau and Robert-Fleury, his first exhibition took place at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1885, where he presented his works until 1913. He discovered Pierre Puvis de Chavannes there who l he influence by his style is his subjects. He exhibited a lot, notably at the Salon des Amis des Beaux-Arts in Nantes from 1890 to 1907 and at various salons of Christian inspiration. Sensitive and mystical artist, he adheres to the thoughts developed by Péladan and participates in all the salons of the Rose-Croix from 1892 to 1897, he will meet there Alphonse Osbert whose certain works are close by inspiration and technique and is part of Groupe des Worried (later called the Eclectic) who exhibited in 1894. Present at the Salons of the National Society of Fine Arts from 1913, at the Universal Exhibitions of Paris in 1900 and Brussels in 1910, he was one of the founding members of the Salon des Tuileries. He also became a member of the Salon d'Automne, as well as of the Idealist Society and of the Modern Society. He exhibited at the Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh. An important exhibition of the works of Maurice Chabas took place in 1928, at the Galerie des Artistes Français in Brussels. Very appreciated in Belgium, the artist asks the favor of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium to inaugurate it. She responds to his desire and will speak at length with Maurice Chabas during his visit, showing him all her affection. The Queen will also chair the Commemorative Exhibition dedicated to her in 1951 at the Galerie Ex-Libris in Brussels. From his beginnings, he is the author of Symbolist paintings with titles evocative of a mystical ideal: "Celsa (Ecstatic phase)" or "Mélété (Melody of the evening-sensation of calm and meditation)". His notoriety spread quickly and, from 1895, his work was exhibited at the "Galerie des Arts Reunis" (avenue de l'Opéra) in Paris. Divisionism made him adopt a less classic style for his works. dream landscapes and skies. He was then influenced by neo-impressionist techniques. At the same time he produced numerous decorations such as that of the town hall of Montrouge in 1884, the XIV arrondissement of Paris in 1889, the town hall of Vincennes in 1898, or the Gare de Lyon-Perrache. From 1900, he moved towards a stylistic simplification, subject to a spiritual and cosmic thought which led around 1920 to a total abstraction, the work of which he presented in Nantes in 1925 but also in the Galerie Devambez in 1913, which publishes a collection of lithographs accompanied by a text by the painter "Towards Supreme Love", intended to uplift souls and magnetize them towards the higher states of universal Life. He will remain faithful to an exalted spiritualism. he def end again in 1935 in a letter to the Director of Fine Arts and kept at the National Archives: "Modern Humanity needs a higher ideal. We can no longer live in the imbalance creating the disharmony that leads to destruction and death. It takes the Spirit to give life to matter and works. "Maurice Chabas was the father of the Historian and Academician André Castelot and of the actor Jacques Castelot.