Roland Marie Gérardin, Prix de Rome 1933

Roland Marie Gérardin

(1907-1935)

French painter

Investigating portrait artist Marthe Antoine Gérardin in before posting I couldn’ t help stumbling over her name sake Roland Marie. I have no idea if this short lived artist was in any way related to Marthe Antoine. But intrigued by the paintings emerging from the internet I noticed the consistent style and expression, the use of paint and colour in the works by this artist. So what follows here is all I was able to find about and by this obscured and forgotten artist. 

He studied at the “Ecole des Arts Decoratifs” and later at the “Ecole des Beaux Arts” in Paris under Jean-Paul Laurens (1838-1921) although this master apparently died when Gérardin was 15. During his short life however Gérardin exhibited widely and won many medals and prizes including the prestigeous French Prix de Rome in 1933 after being runner-up in 1930 and 1931 (see also below).

The pictures of the paintings I was able to find (btw: three of them are currently on offer at a French galerie and in Ebay) show a preference for outdoor groups, the reclining (sleeping) nude in an atmosphere of mild erotic leisure in many of his few paintings. The title "femme alanguies" of one of them translated into english probably closest to the emotion he tries to evoke: an expression (or posture) assuming tender sentimental melancholy.

The inspiration of Eduard Manet’s (1832-1883) composition “Dejeuner sûr l’ herbe” painted in 1862/63 and causing scandal 70 years before cannot be missed. Gérardin of course knew the iconic reclining nudes of Amadeo Modigliani (1884-1920). And there's his admiration of Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) his women and the arrangement of their forms in complex compositions and perspective (below: the Hermit and Angelica)   

Susanne taking a bath and watched by the two conniving dirty old men ("elders") was a theme introduced in 15^th century painting giving one of two Old Testament opportunities and excuses painting the naked female body (the other being Bathsheba, king Davids wife (read here * and here* ) 

Susanne by Gérardin (I could not locate a colour version of this painting) and by Venician painter Tintoretto (1518-1594). 

For reference and future Googling readers shown together in this posting are all the paintings I could find on-line by Gérardin to this date. Gérardin was awarded an exhibition in 1989 according to this poster, in St-Ouen, a district of greater Paris, showing his pottery decorations.

    

Roland Gérardin died suddenly of some form of aggressive (pancreatic?) cancer in 1935, only 28 years old, when staying in the Villa Medici after been awarded first price in the French Prix de Rome and the grant to study at the Academy Francaise in Italy. He was burried in Bréchamp just south and not far from the Paris where he was born only 28 years before. A year later (1936) fellow 1933 Prix de Rome (music) winner Robert Planel (1908-1994) created a musical composition in his memory (read here*)

Since composing this posting took quite some unsponsored time and effort, all comments after reading are, as always, very much welcomed. Comments are the Blogwriter's fuel. I can see the number of readers increasing but leaving a notice (comment) once in a while after visiting is not a common practice. 
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All pictures borrowed freely from the internet for friendly, educational and non commercial use only.