Les Nabis
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Nabis (or Les Nabis; the prophets, from the Hebrew term for prophet) was a group of young post-impressionist avant-garde Parisian artists of the 1890s that influenced the fine arts and graphic arts in France at the turn of the 20th century.
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Les Nabis originated as a rebellious group of young student artists who banded together at Académie Julian in Paris, France. Paul Sérusier galvanized Les Nabis, and provided the name and disseminated the example of Paul Gauguin among them. Pierre Bonnard and Edouard Vuillard became the best known of the group, but at the time they were somewhat peripheral to the core group.
Meeting at Académie Julian, and then at the apartment of Paul Ranson, they preached that a work of art is the end product and the visual expression of an artist's synthesis of nature in personal aesthetic metaphors and symbols. They paved the way for the early 20th century development of abstract and non-representational art. The goal of integrating art and daily life, was a goal they had in common with most progressive artists of the time.
Nabis artists are noted for the variety of media in which they worked. In addition to the fine arts, they worked in printmaking, poster design, book illustration, textiles, furniture and theatre design.
Their emphasis on design was shared by the parallel art nouveau movement. Both groups also had close ties to the Symbolists.
The word Nabi is derived from the Hebrew word for prophet. Les Nabis regarded themselves as initiates, and used a private vocabulary. They called a studio egasterium, and ended their letters with the initials E.T.P.M.V. et M.P., meaning "En ta paume, mon verba et ma paume" ("In the palm of your hand, my word and my palm.")
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Famous Nabis
Among the artists who considered themselves Nabis was Maurice Denis, whose journalism put the aims of the group in the eye of a progressive audience, and whose definition of painting — "a flat surface covered with colors assembled in a certain order" — expressed the Nabis approach. His Théories (1920; 1922) summed up the Nabis' aims long after they had been superseded by the fauve painters and by cubism.
Other Nabis were Ker-Xavier Roussel, Paul Ranson and Felix Vallotton. The sculptor Aristide Maillol was associated for a time with the group. The post-impressionist styles they embraced skirted some aspects of contemporary art nouveau and Symbolism. The influence of the English Arts and Crafts Movement set them to work in media that involved crafts beyond painting: printmaking, book illustration and poster design, textiles and set design.
Significant members
- Paul Sérusier - (1864 – 1927), painter
- Aristide Maillol - (1861 – 1944), sculptor
- Félix Vallotton - (1865 – 1925), painter
- Pierre Bonnard - (1867 – 1947), painter
- Ker Xavier Roussel - (1867 – 1944), painter
- Edouard Vuillard - (1868 – 1940), painter
- Maurice Denis - (1870 – 1943), painter
- Georges Lacombe - (1868 – 1916), sculptor
- Paul Ranson - (1864 – 1909), painter
- Felix Vallotton - (1865 – 1925), painter, engraver
See also
Reference
- Claire Freches-Thory and Antoine Terrasse, 2003 The Nabis : Bonnard, Vuillard and Their Circle ISBN: 2080110764
External links
- The Nabis at Artcyclopedia (http://www.artcyclopedia.com/history/les-nabis.html)
- Images and descriptions in Italian (http://www.artesuarte.com/Nabis.htm)