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| detail from the S. S. Normandie's famous glass mural |
Jean Dupas (1882-1964) was one of the great masters of the Art Deco movement. Art Deco has sometimes been described as a bridge between Art Nouveau and later 20th-century modern art, and yet I've always associated Jean Dupas' work as having strong roots in Neo-classicism. Perhaps that's why I like it so much.
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| christies.com |
Here is a study for a large mural that Dupas painted, entitled
La Gloire de Bordeaux, and below is a more refined study of the figure on the left.
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| christies.com |
A fine example of Dupas' style, the anatomy is exaggerated and the limbs are delineated with a volume that suggests that the figure is monumental.
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| Louise Herbert, pictify.com |
That same sense of volume is carried through in this profile drawing. While we see strands of hair, they are nonetheless represented by a form that borders on Cubism, and as we look at that cheekbone and the chin, we can easily imagine that Dupas envisioned complete globes.
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| Mlle. Marguerite Grain, 1923 | christies.com |
Certain themes reappear in the art of Jean Dupas. In the portrait above and in the poster detail below, eyes are almond-shaped, necks are elongated, thumbs and forefingers come together, hair is piled high, and pairs of (large) hummingbirds add to the composition.
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| wikipaintings.org |
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| diataart.com |
Dupas' landscapes are also comprised of stylized volumes, with the limbs of trees exaggerated in the same manner as the limbs of the human figures. I've noticed that Dupas often used a palette of reds and vibrant greens.
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| ltmuseum.co.uk | christies.com |
Above are two illustrations Jean Dupas painted, of the Thames River and Hyde Park. Just as he was prone to create fantastic piled-high hairstyles, his trees were usually soaring columns of foliage. One almost expects to see Jack and the beanstalk amid the elegant 20th-century society.
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| christies.com |
Jean Dupas admitted that he was never happier than when he worked on a large scale. His most famous project was a collaboration with the glass master Champigneulle, 400+ square meters of gold and silver entitled The History of Navigation. Above is an image in two panels that appears to be a study for the final mural. It was sold by Christie's in 2012. The estimated value was $100,000, but it sold for $578,500.
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| metmuseum.org |
And here is Jean Dupas' 1934 mural for the S. S. Normandie's grand salon as it is currently displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Normandie sailed for only four years (1935-1939). To read about its short history and sad demise, go here.
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Dear Mark - a lovely post on Jean Dupas.
ReplyDeleteI am only really familiar with his poster designs for London Transport, two of which you show. I know he did a wonderful one for London Zoo showing a monumental elephant with some elegant 1930s ladies sitting on the top.
I have just been reading about Nefertiti and could not help but notice how similar her ancient Egyptian bust image is to that of the women depicted by Dupas.
Dear Rosemary,
DeleteI came across Jean Dupas' London Zoo poster in my research of Jean Dupas, but chose the other two because I thought they illustrated the stylized landscapes better. But you're right; it was charming. Jean Dupas had a successful career as an advertising artist, as you know.
Hello Mark, This is a fascinating study of Dupas and of Art Deco. Looking at Dupas' works you illustrate, we first notice a wealth of detail, then, as you suggest, we see fine details such as hair and leaves sinking back into solid and geometric forms.
ReplyDeletePerhaps you should have placed this post under your "Art History is not Linear" rubric. In addition to Classic influence, I see some Egyptian forms and drawing. Also, the long necks and flowing hair remind me strongly of Botticelli.
--Jim
Hello, Jim,
DeleteYou and Rosemary have both mentioned a possible Egyptian influence in Dupas' art, and I can see it, certainly in the postures. In my own research of Classical design, I often make segues into Egypt and Persia, and I would love to see the Roman ruins of Turkey, of which, so I understand, there are many.
Perhaps an interesting posting would be a catalog of all the artists who have been neck stretchers!
Oh thank you for this. I do like the strength of Dupas's depiction of people, although the downside is that association (for me) with Fascism and its use of Futurism. Happily Dupas's pictures are of more benign subjects.
ReplyDeleteYes, I see that association, though I've never connected it to Dupas. Part of that look — which I'll just call "Monumentalism" here — is very static poses.
DeletePS - I never realised the Normandie had such a brief life, or indeed about its sad demise. Thank you for illuminating my lack of knowledge on this subject.
ReplyDeleteDear Columnist,
DeleteI too had always assumed that the S. S. Normandie had a much longer life span. Thank goodness Dupas' masterpiece was able to be salvaged!
Dear Mark,
ReplyDeleteI had not heard of Jean Dupas. You always introduce me to the most interesting people at your blog salon!
I do like that mural for the Normandie but I can't say that I liked the finished Gloire de Bordeaux. Having read your post I tried to find it on the Internet and see that the legs on the finished painting are like tree trunks!
Having said that though, there is something very arresting about his work.
Bye for now
Kirk
Hello, Kirk,
DeleteI would reserve judgement of the Bordeaux mural until I saw it in person, but photographs of it do suggest that it might be garish in color. All the same, I'd enjoy visiting it to get the full effect of green skies and red people.
I expect to be visiting New York City next year, and I'm going to make a special effort to see the Normandie mural there.
I hope you will 'do' a post on that.
DeleteKirk
PS
Yes you are right of course - photographs don't always do artwork justice, but those legs! I couldn't get out of my head the advice that AGA's grandmother gave: Never trust someone with thick ankles...
Your comment has enduced me to go back and look more carefully at Dupas' Bordeaux mural, and indeed, there are no ankles at all! An interesting style of anatomy, particularly when Dupas was no doubt well-versed in Academic drawing.
DeleteDear Mark, I so appreciate you introducing us to so many not so well known artists. I know very little about the Art Deco period and Art Deco art has never been my favorite, probably because my art education centered mostly around the Italian Renaissance ...but one should never be so close minded.
ReplyDeleteDear Gina,
DeleteI have several books on the Art Deco movement, one on Art Deco in New York architecture, and one on Art Deco in Los Angeles architecture. Within that style there is an extraordinary range.
Dear Mark - Thanks for this post on Jean Dupas. His illustrations are incredibly layered - the more I look, the more I see! The portrait of Mlle. Marguerite Grain is beautiful. To my untrained eye, it looks less Art Deco than the others.
ReplyDeleteDear Loi,
DeleteDupas' compositions are very layered, and how he uses color to make the layers seperate and recede or come forward is quite a study. I like how the sea in his Normandie mural becomes an Op Art pattern — that alone is quite amazing.
PS - I love the hummingbirds!
ReplyDeleteThey seem to have been a trademark.
Deletei hadn't heard of Dupas either, thank you for introducing me to his arresting art.
ReplyDeleteSome aspects remind me of de Chirico ..one of my favourites
Hi, smr,
DeleteThat one landscape reminded me of de Chirico, too, both in composition and palette. His figures, on the other hand, often remind me of Leger.
Oh, I love this work, Mark. An artist I'd never heard of too. Thanks so much for the introduction. Jean Dupas. I'll have to add his work to my Pinterest art boards of course. :) I've been to the Met but I've never experienced that gorgeous mural from the Normandie. One of these days when I return I'll have to see if it's still on exhibition.
ReplyDeleteHi, Yvette,
DeleteI visited the Met several years ago, for a couple of days, and didn't see the Normandie mural. There's so much to see there that I'm due for another trip. When I visit the National Gallery of Art, I usually start in its Renaissance section, and I have a hard time getting out into other parts of the gallery. So when I visit the Met, I should probably take a cue from that and begin from a different starting point!