Denys Corbet
Encyclopedia
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, Naïve
Naïve art
Naïve art is a classification of art that is often characterized by a childlike simplicity in its subject matter and technique. While many naïve artists appear, from their works, to have little or no formal art training, this is often not true...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, and school master. He was the second son of Pierre and Susanne (née de Beaucamp) who was born at La Turquie, Vale, Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
, Channel Island. He married Mary "Elizabeth" Wellington (1833–1909) and had 6 children.
Corbet wrote, for the most, in the Dgernesiais
Dgèrnésiais
Guernésiais, also known as Dgèrnésiais, Guernsey French, and Guernsey Norman French, is the variety of the Norman language spoken in Guernsey. It is sometimes known on the island by the semi-disparaging name "patois"...
language, used historically (but with little modern use) in Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
. Corbet described himself as the Le Draïn Rimeux (The Last Poet). He is best known for his poems, especially the epic L'Touar de Guernesy, a picaresque tour of the parishes of Guernsey and Les Feuilles de la Foret (The Leaves of the Forest) among others.
As editor of the French-language newspaper Le Bailliage, he also wrote prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
columns in Dgèrnésiais under the pen name Badlagoule ("chatterbox").
Today Denys Corbet is largely known as a naïve painter of cows and rural life.
Canadian artist Christian Corbet is a cousin of Denys Corbet. Christian Corbet's 6th great grandfather Thomas Corbet was the older brother to Pierre Corbet, Denys Corbet's grandfather.
Between 30–31 May 2009 a special exhibition at the Forest Douzaine, Forest, Guernsey, Channel Islands will be held commemorating the centenary of Denys Corbet's passing. At the opening reception a contemporary portrait of Denys Corbet painted by Christian Corbet was unveiled by Hazel Cotgrove, great granddaughter of Denys'. To help commemorate this anniversary a forensic analysis and chronology was created by Christian Corbet.
A forthcoming biography by Christian Corbet is currently being written.
Christian Corbet holds an attributed self-portrait of Denys Corbet. Coll. Guernsey Museum and Art Gallery. 2006.