Jean-Julien Lemordant
Encyclopedia
Jean-Julien Lemordant was a Breton
artist and French
soldier and patriot.
and was orphaned in his teens. At first he studied architecture but made his career as a painter, initially in Rennes and later in Paris, studying under Léon Bonnat
at the Beaux-Arts
.
The life of Brittany
figured prominently in his early paintings, including his paintings for the Hôtel de l'Épée dining rooms at Quimper, and for the ceiling of the Theatre of Rennes. He was associated with Charles Cottet
, and his influences included Gauguin
, the Fauves
, and the School of Pont-Aven
. When his work was exhibited in Paris
, it was to broad critical acclaim.
, in August 1914, he volunteered for France
and was sent to the front as a private. He was wounded at Charleroi
and promoted to lieutenant. In October 1915 he was again wounded, at the battle of Artois
, and further wounds in the same battle left him blind. He was left for four days, thought dead, then was taken as prisoner to Germany. He was eventually exchanged and returned to France through Switzerland
.
Embraced as a victim of German "Kultur", Lemordant became an inspirational speaker, talking about the effects of his blindness, and the role of the artist in society. He believed that France was victorious over Germany
because a series of great artists (Carrière, Sisley
, Pissarro
, Puvis de Chavannes
and Rodin
) had kept the spirit of art and sacrifice alive in France. In 1919 he was awarded the Howland Memorial Prize
and his works were exhibited at Yale University
; the retrospective exhibit also was shown at the Gimple and Wildenstein Galleries in New York, and toured the United States under the auspices of the American Federation of Art. In 1926, he was made a Commandeur of the Légion d'Honneur
, and was carried through the Grand Palais
on the shoulders of the greatest artist of the day.
Lemordant was made Professor of Esthetics at the École des Beaux-Arts
, for life.
In 1927, he acquired a site on the Avenue-René-Coty, and designed, with the assistance of Jean Launay, the Hôtel Lemordant to be erected there. His living quarters contained a huge, naturally lit studio, which, being blind
, he never used.
Ironically, Lemordant died of tear-gas poisoning in the May 1968 student uprisings in Paris.
Breton people
The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...
artist and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
soldier and patriot.
Life
Lemordant grew up in BrittanyBrittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
and was orphaned in his teens. At first he studied architecture but made his career as a painter, initially in Rennes and later in Paris, studying under Léon Bonnat
Léon Bonnat
Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat was a French painter.He was born in Bayonne, but from 1846 to 1853 he lived in Madrid, where his father owned a bookshop. While tending his father's shop, he copied engravings of works by the Old Masters, developing a passion for drawing...
at the Beaux-Arts
École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
The École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts is the distinguished National School of Fine Arts in Paris, France.The École des Beaux-arts is made up of a vast complex of buildings located at 14 rue Bonaparte, between the quai Malaquais and the rue Bonaparte, in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Près,...
.
The life of Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
figured prominently in his early paintings, including his paintings for the Hôtel de l'Épée dining rooms at Quimper, and for the ceiling of the Theatre of Rennes. He was associated with Charles Cottet
Charles Cottet
Charles Cottet , French painter, was born at Le Puy-en-Velay and died in Paris. A famed post-impressionist, Cottet is known for his dark, evocative painting of rural Brittany and seascapes...
, and his influences included Gauguin
Paul Gauguin
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a leading French Post-Impressionist artist. He was an important figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, print-maker, ceramist, and writer...
, the Fauves
Fauvism
Fauvism is the style of les Fauves , a short-lived and loose group of early twentieth-century Modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the representational or realistic values retained by Impressionism...
, and the School of Pont-Aven
Pont-Aven School
Pont-Aven School is a term occupied by works of art iconographically due to Pont-Aven and its surroundings. Originally the term was focusing works of the artists' colony emerging there since the 1850s, and some decades later the work of the group of painters gathering around the artist Paul...
. When his work was exhibited in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, it was to broad critical acclaim.
Blindness
At the outset of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, in August 1914, he volunteered for France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and was sent to the front as a private. He was wounded at Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
and promoted to lieutenant. In October 1915 he was again wounded, at the battle of Artois
Third Battle of Artois
The Third Battle of Artois was on the Western Front of World War I, is also known as the Loos-Artois Offensive, including the major British offensive, known as the Battle of Loos....
, and further wounds in the same battle left him blind. He was left for four days, thought dead, then was taken as prisoner to Germany. He was eventually exchanged and returned to France through Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Embraced as a victim of German "Kultur", Lemordant became an inspirational speaker, talking about the effects of his blindness, and the role of the artist in society. He believed that France was victorious over Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
because a series of great artists (Carrière, Sisley
Alfred Sisley
Alfred Sisley was an Impressionist landscape painter who was born and spent most of his life, in France, but retained British citizenship. He was the most consistent of the Impressionists in his dedication to painting landscape en plein air...
, Pissarro
Camille Pissarro
Camille Pissarro was a French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of St Thomas . His importance resides in his contributions to both Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, as he was the only artist to exhibit in both forms...
, Puvis de Chavannes
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes was a French painter, who became the president and co-founder of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts and whose work influenced many other artists.-Life:...
and Rodin
Auguste Rodin
François-Auguste-René Rodin , known as Auguste Rodin , was a French sculptor. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past...
) had kept the spirit of art and sacrifice alive in France. In 1919 he was awarded the Howland Memorial Prize
Howland Memorial Prize
The Henry Howland Memorial Prize at Yale was created in 1915 for a "citizen of any country in recognition of some achievement of marked distinction in the field of literature or fine arts or the science of government." The idealistic quality of the recipient's work is an important factor in his...
and his works were exhibited at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
; the retrospective exhibit also was shown at the Gimple and Wildenstein Galleries in New York, and toured the United States under the auspices of the American Federation of Art. In 1926, he was made a Commandeur of the Légion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, and was carried through the Grand Palais
Grand Palais
This article contains material abridged and translated from the French and Spanish Wikipedia.The Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées, commonly known as the Grand Palais , is a large historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France...
on the shoulders of the greatest artist of the day.
Lemordant was made Professor of Esthetics at the École des Beaux-Arts
École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
The École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts is the distinguished National School of Fine Arts in Paris, France.The École des Beaux-arts is made up of a vast complex of buildings located at 14 rue Bonaparte, between the quai Malaquais and the rue Bonaparte, in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Près,...
, for life.
In 1927, he acquired a site on the Avenue-René-Coty, and designed, with the assistance of Jean Launay, the Hôtel Lemordant to be erected there. His living quarters contained a huge, naturally lit studio, which, being blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
, he never used.
Later years
Fifty years after his injuries, a series of operations restored his sight.Ironically, Lemordant died of tear-gas poisoning in the May 1968 student uprisings in Paris.