Philippe Solari
Encyclopedia
Philippe Solari was a provencal
sculptor, of Italian origin, a contemporary and friend of Paul Cézanne
and Emile Zola
. He acquired French
nationality in 1870.
. The two became very close friends. Later, between 1860 and 1865, Solari would attend the regular Thursday soirées at Zola's home in Paris for discussions on art; other participants included the painters Paul Cézanne
, another of Zola's boyhood friends, and Camille Pissarro
.
Drawn towards art, and sculpture in particular, Solari went on to attend the School of Fine Arts (Ecole des Beaux-Arts) in Aix.
After winning the Prix Granet
in Aix, he attended the Academy of Charles Suisse
in Paris. This artist's studio, situated on the quai des Orfèvres
on the Île de la Cité
, also counted Edouard Manet
, Claude Monet
, Camille Pissarro
and Paul Cézanne
among its students. Solari, however, found it hard to make ends meet as an artist. The painter Achille Emperaire
, trained at the same Academy, commented, "Everybody had support, only poor Solari was forced to worry about his next crust." He made his debut in Paris
at the 1867 Salon.
At the 1868 Salon, speaking about Solari's "Sleeping negro", Zola declared, "I find in Philippe Solari one of our two or three really modern sculptors. He has ceased to dream about absolute beauty. Beauty for him has become the living expression of nature, the interpretation of the human body."
When his sculpture of Johan Barthold Jongkind was unveiled in the Cemetery of Montmartre in 1904, Solari preferred not to step forward to be acknowledged. This characteristic reserve was doubtless responsible for the many closed doors that he encountered in the course of his career. A first cast of the sculpture of Jongkind is on display in rue Ganay in Aix.
At the end of his life he produced two sculptures of Cézanne, one from memory (known as Cézanne, the dreamer), the other sculpted from life in Cézanne's studio in Aix. The journalist Jules Bernex told an anecdote about the last sitting. When adding the final touches, the sculptor took a pince-nez
out of his pocket and placed it on his nose. Cézanne apparently objected, exclaiming that never again would he sit for someone who could not see him with the naked eye.
s would be Émile Zola and his wife. Solari had in turn been a witness at the Zola's marriage.
. As he was being taken by carriage to hospital, he murmured, "What a pity about the weather."
Solari died in the same year as Cézanne. The painter Joseph Ravaisou
commented, "The year that is ending has seen two artists pass away who, despite having very different fortunes in life, were both singled out by a detachment from worldly matters and the same propensity for pure naive emotion. One was a sculptor, the other a painter. [...] Prosperity
for Cézanne and Poverty
for Solari brought comparable joys, side by side throughout the lives of the two artists, hand in hand even with the approach of death: both artists were struck down in the same circumstances by the same illness."
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
sculptor, of Italian origin, a contemporary and friend of Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century. Cézanne can be said to form the bridge between late 19th...
and Emile Zola
Émile Zola
Émile François Zola was a French writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of naturalism and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism...
. He acquired 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...
nationality in 1870.
Youth
Born into a relatively poor family with six sisters, Philippe Solari was educated at the boarding school of Notre-Dame, where he got to know Emile ZolaÉmile Zola
Émile François Zola was a French writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of naturalism and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism...
. The two became very close friends. Later, between 1860 and 1865, Solari would attend the regular Thursday soirées at Zola's home in Paris for discussions on art; other participants included the painters Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century. Cézanne can be said to form the bridge between late 19th...
, another of Zola's boyhood friends, and Camille 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...
.
Drawn towards art, and sculpture in particular, Solari went on to attend the School of Fine Arts (Ecole des Beaux-Arts) in Aix.
Career
François Marius Granet
François Marius Granet , French painter, was born in Aix-en-Provence; his father was a small builder.-Biography:...
in Aix, he attended the Academy of Charles Suisse
Académie Suisse
The Académie Suisse was an art school founded by Charles Suisse, and was located at the corner of the Quai des Orfévres and the Boulevard du Palais, in Paris...
in Paris. This artist's studio, situated on the quai des Orfèvres
Quai des Orfèvres
Quai des Orfèvres is a 1947 French police procedural drama based on the book Légitime défense by Stanislas-Andre Steeman. Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot the film stars Suzy Delair as Jenny Lamour, Bernard Blier as Maurice Martineau, Louis Jouvet as Inspector Antoine and Simone Renant as...
on the Île de la Cité
Île de la Cité
The Île de la Cité is one of two remaining natural islands in the Seine within the city of Paris . It is the centre of Paris and the location where the medieval city was refounded....
, also counted Edouard Manet
Édouard Manet
Édouard Manet was a French painter. One of the first 19th-century artists to approach modern-life subjects, he was a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism....
, Claude Monet
Claude Monet
Claude Monet was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting. . Retrieved 6 January 2007...
, Camille 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...
and Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century. Cézanne can be said to form the bridge between late 19th...
among its students. Solari, however, found it hard to make ends meet as an artist. The painter Achille Emperaire
Achille Emperaire
Achille Emperaire was a French painter and a friend of Paul Cézanne's.-Biography:Achille Emperaire was born as a dwarf and a hunchback, in Aix-en-Provence in 1829....
, trained at the same Academy, commented, "Everybody had support, only poor Solari was forced to worry about his next crust." He made his debut 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...
at the 1867 Salon.
At the 1868 Salon, speaking about Solari's "Sleeping negro", Zola declared, "I find in Philippe Solari one of our two or three really modern sculptors. He has ceased to dream about absolute beauty. Beauty for him has become the living expression of nature, the interpretation of the human body."
When his sculpture of Johan Barthold Jongkind was unveiled in the Cemetery of Montmartre in 1904, Solari preferred not to step forward to be acknowledged. This characteristic reserve was doubtless responsible for the many closed doors that he encountered in the course of his career. A first cast of the sculpture of Jongkind is on display in rue Ganay in Aix.
At the end of his life he produced two sculptures of Cézanne, one from memory (known as Cézanne, the dreamer), the other sculpted from life in Cézanne's studio in Aix. The journalist Jules Bernex told an anecdote about the last sitting. When adding the final touches, the sculptor took a pince-nez
Pince-nez
Pince-nez are a style of spectacles, popular in the 19th century, which are supported without earpieces, by pinching the bridge of the nose. The name comes from French pincer, to pinch, and nez, nose....
out of his pocket and placed it on his nose. Cézanne apparently objected, exclaiming that never again would he sit for someone who could not see him with the naked eye.
Family
He married Thérèse Strempel, the daughter of a German industrialist, in 1867. Although she was to die not long afterwards, she nevertheless bore him two children: a daughter in 1867 and six years later a son, Émile, whose godparentGodparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
s would be Émile Zola and his wife. Solari had in turn been a witness at the Zola's marriage.
Death
While working on one of the floats for the carnival of Aix, Solari developed pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. As he was being taken by carriage to hospital, he murmured, "What a pity about the weather."
Solari died in the same year as Cézanne. The painter Joseph Ravaisou
Joseph Ravaisou
Joseph Ravaisou was a French landscape painter.-Biography:In 1878 Joseph Ravaisou moved to Aix-en-Provence to work as a school teacher, and subsequently became a music conductor and a music critic....
commented, "The year that is ending has seen two artists pass away who, despite having very different fortunes in life, were both singled out by a detachment from worldly matters and the same propensity for pure naive emotion. One was a sculptor, the other a painter. [...] Prosperity
Prosperity
Prosperity is the state of flourishing, thriving, good fortune and/or successful social status. Prosperity often encompasses wealth but also includes others factors which are independent of wealth to varying degrees, such as happiness and health....
for Cézanne and Poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
for Solari brought comparable joys, side by side throughout the lives of the two artists, hand in hand even with the approach of death: both artists were struck down in the same circumstances by the same illness."