Georges Philibert Charles Maroniez (17 January 1865 in

Douai Douai ( , , ; ; ; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord département in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe (rive ...

– 11 December 1933 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

) was a French painter, specializing in landscapes with figures.

Biography

Education and first works

Maroniez was the son of an industrialist who owned a sugar refinery in

Montigny-en-Ostrevent Montigny-en-Ostrevent is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 647 communes of the Nord department of the French Republic. ...

. He displayed artistic talent at an early age, but – although not discouraged – was expected to pursue a more professional career. Accordingly, he studied law, and afterwards served as a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

in, successively,

Boulogne-sur-Mer Boulogne-sur-Mer (; ; ; or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Hauts-de-France, Northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pas-de-Calais. Boul ...

(1891),

Avesnes-sur-Helpe Avesnes-sur-Helpe (; ), Picard language, Picard: ''Avinne-su-Helpe'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of ...

(1894) and

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; ; ), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the Escaut river. A sub-pref ...

(1897). While attending law school, he also took courses at the École des Beaux-Arts of Douai and became a student of in

Cantin Cantin () is a commune of the Hauts-de-France region in the Nord department in northern France. It is southeast of Douai. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 647 communes o ...

. It was there that he met the painter

Adrien Demont Adrien Louis Demont (25 October 1851, Douai - 25 October 1928, Wissant) was a French landscape painter; associated with the artists' colony at Wissant. Biography At first, he studied law, but decided to devote himself to painting. His first ...

, the son-in-law of

Jules Breton Jules Adolphe Aimé Louis Breton (; 1 May 1827 – 5 July 1906) was a 19th-century French Naturalism (arts), naturalist Painting, painter. His paintings are heavily influenced by the French countryside and his absorption of traditional methods ...

. Urged on by Breton, at the age of 22 he started exhibiting peasant genre and landscape scenes in Douai and Paris. He began vacationing in

Wissant Wissant (; from , "white sand") is a seaside commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France approximately north of Boulogne, west-southwest of Calais on the English Channel coast. History Located at the easte ...

, where he stayed with Demont and his wife,

Virginie Demont-Breton Virginie Élodie Marie Thérèse Demont-Breton (26 July 1859, Courrières – 10 January 1935, Paris) was a French painter. Biography Virginie was the daughter of Jules Breton (1827–1906) and the niece of Émile Breton , both renowned pain ...

, painting the coastal scenery and becoming associated with the "École de Wissant", founded by

Henri Henri is the French form of the masculine given name Henry, also in Estonian, Finnish, German and Luxembourgish. Bearers of the given name include: People French nobles * Henri I de Montmorency (1534–1614), Marshal and Constable of France * H ...

and Marie Duhem. In 1889, he became a member of the

Société des Artistes Français The Société des Artistes Français (, meaning "Society of French Artists") is the association of French painters and sculptors established in 1881. Its annual exhibition is called the "Salon des artistes français" (not to be confused with the ...

. At the annual

Salon des artistes français The Salon (), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art event in the Western world. At the ...

, he was awarded a Honorable Mention in 1891, a 3rd Medal in 1905, and a 2nd Medal in 1906. Defying the label of "marine painter", he filled his genre scene paintings with Flemish realism. Using a luminous, caressing light, he transposed the grey country roads of his birthplace with light, and painted eloquent snowy landscapes. He painted ports of Brittany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as numerous scenes of the fisherman's life, especially at twilight or night. He captured the magnetic beauty of an ocean sunset, and the tranquility that beauty and light brings.

Inventions

Maroniez also became interested in photography and invented one of the first hand-held cameras, a device which he soon simplified, named the "Sphynx" and patented in 1891. The camera used a type of film invented by chemist Victor Planchon, a relative of his. He travelled widely throughout the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Middle East, using his device to take over 1,600 images that are in the collection of the museum in

. Later he devised and patented a method of suppressing the vibrations and jerky movements produced by the

cinematograph Cinematograph or kinematograph is an early term for several types of motion picture film mechanisms. The name was used for movie cameras as well as film projectors, or for complete systems that also provided means to print films (such as the ...

s of the

Lumière Brothers Lumière is French for 'light'. Lumiere, Lumière or Lumieres may refer to: Buildings * Lumière, a building used by the Bibliothèque publique d'information in Paris, France * Lumiere (skyscraper), a cancelled skyscraper development in Leeds, ...

, which had its unveiling in 1899 at the Société Photographique in Cambrai. In 1905, the success of his paintings and the

anti-clerical Anti-clericalism is opposition to religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historically, anti-clericalism in Christian traditions has been opposed to the influence of Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secularism, ...

attitudes of the Combes administration led him to resign from the judiciary, and to devote himself entirely to art.

World War I and maturity

In August 1914, Maroniez was drafted into Military Justice. In 1918 he was created a Knight of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. During the German occupation of north-east France, his studio was looted, and his wife was deported, with hundreds of other French civilian hostages, to Holzminden internment camp in Lower Saxony."Forced labour, hostages and deportees" Claudine WALLART, Head Curator of Heritage at the Archives Départementales du Nord (Nord Records Office)
/ref> The family was reunited only after the ceasefire; they relocated to Paris in 1919.
He subsequently took most of his inspiration from

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

. His works were very popular but, according to some critics, became repetitive and too commercial. Over 800 paintings are attributed to him, of which the majority are in private collections. He died of a heart attack in 1933 and was interred in the family vault at

Gallery

Paysage rural (Rural landscape).jpg, alt=Rural landscape - Oil on canvas, 1893, Dahesh Museum of Art, NewYork, NY, USA, ''Rural landscape'' (1893), oil on canvas,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Dahesh Museum of Art The Dahesh Museum of Art is the only museum in the United States devoted to the collection and exhibition of European academic art of the 19th and 20th century. The collection, located in Manhattan, New York City, originated with Lebanese write ...

. Jeunes filles en balade sur la jetée Est (Girls strolling on East wharf).jpg, alt= Girls strolling on East wharf, 1904
Photothèque de Cambrai, ''Girls strolling on East wharf'' (1904), photographic glass plate, photothèque de

. Georges-Philibert-Charles Maroniez - Pêcheurs d'Equihen (1902).jpg, ''Fishermen of Equihen'', 1902, oil on canvas,

Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille The Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille (''Lille Palace of Fine Arts'') is a municipal museum dedicated to fine arts, modern art, and antiquities located in Lille. It is one of the largest art museums in France. It was one of the first museums built i ...

. Tristes nouvelles (Wreckers off the Brittany Coast).jpg, ''Sad news'' (1911) oil on canvas, private collection. Le laboureur (The Ploughman).jpg, ''The ploughman'', oil on canvas, private collection. Paix et abondance (Peace and plenty).jpg, ''Peace and plenty'', oil on canvas, private collection. Coucher de soleil (Sunset).jpg, ''Sunset'', oil on canvas, private collection. Le retour des pêcheurs (The return of the fishermen).JPG, ''The return of the fishermen'', oil on canvas, private collection. Au bord de l'Odet.jpg, ''Along the Odet river'' (1914), pastel on canvas, private collection. Pêche aux coques au crépuscule (Cockling at dusk).jpg, ''Cockling at dusk'', oil on canvas, private collection. Georges Maroniez - Le garde.jpg, ''The Guard'', oil on canvas, private collection.

References

External links

Works by Maroniez in the museums of Nord-Pas-de-Calais

Fonds Georges Maroniez
photographs taken by G. Maroniez, digitized by Le Labo - Cambrai

Georges Maroniez et ses appareils photographiques et cinématographique {{DEFAULTSORT:Maroniez, Georges 1865 births 1933 deaths French genre painters 19th-century French painters French male painters 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists 19th-century French male artists