Luc-Marie Bayle (30 January 1914, Malo-les-Bains – 11 October 2000, Paris) was a French naval officer, painter, and artist.

Career

Military

Bayle began his military career in 1932 when he entered the

École Navale École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...

. After promotion he sailed on various ships and conducted campaigns to China and Africa. After attending further marine school training in

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...

, Bayle completed two missions, one in 1948 the other in 1949, to

Adélie Land Adélie Land ( ) or Adélie Coast is a Territorial claims in Antarctica, claimed territory of France located on the continent of Antarctica. It stretches from a portion of the Southern Ocean coastline all the way inland to the South Pole. Franc ...

on the '' Commandant Charcot'' for which he became the on-board photographer, historian, and official painter. He commanded the French Navy in

Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...

from 1956 to 1958. In 1975 he was elected to the

Académie de Marine The Royal Naval Academy of France (, ) was founded at Brest by a ruling of 31 July 1752 by Antoine Louis de Rouillé, comte de Jouy, Secretary of State for the Navy. This institutionalised an earlier initiative by a group of officers from the ...

Museum and historical work

In 1954 Bayle created a large model aircraft carrier on the

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

in order to demonstrate the complexity of the equipment and electronics involved. He was the director of the

Musée national de la Marine The Musée national de la Marine (; "National Navy Museum") is a maritime museum located in the Palais de Chaillot, Trocadéro, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. It has annexes at Brest, Port-Louis, Rochefort ( Musée National de la Ma ...

in Paris from 1972 to 1980 and created the concept of a "port-museum", especially in Port-Louis, near Lorient. He was particularly interested in historic ships such as the '' Großherzogin Elisabeth'', a three-masted war-damaged ship which was brought back to Brest in 1946 and renamed the ''Duchesse Anne''. After serving in the Navy the ship sank into neglect. After an initial restoration project funded by the Port-Louis museum, Bayle launched a new call for the rescue of the ''Duchess Anne'' in February 1979, deeming her condition to be critical. It was ultimately

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

that restored the ship in 1980/81, where it remains on display. Bayle founded the French maritime heritage preservation association "AMERAMI" in 1975.

Artistry

Bayle drew and painted, mostly in watercolors, beginning with his first expedition to China where he developed his talent in this discipline. Other locations included in this collection are Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora and Mangareva, as well as the less frequented

Île Saint-Paul is an island forming part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (, TAAF) in the Indian Ocean, with an area of . The island is located about south of the larger Île Amsterdam , northeast of the Kerguelen Islands, and southeast of Réuni ...

Macquarie Island Macquarie Island is a subantarctic island in the south-western Pacific Ocean, about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica. It has been governed as a part of Tasmania, Australia, since 1880. It became a Protected areas of Tasmania, Tasmania ...

Kerguelen Islands The Kerguelen Islands ( or ; in French commonly ' but officially ', ), also known as the Desolation Islands (' in French), are a group of islands in the subantarctic, sub-Antarctic region. They are among the Extremes on Earth#Remoteness, most i ...

, and the

Balleny Islands The Balleny Islands () are a series of uninhabited islands in the Southern Ocean extending from 66°15' to 67°35'S and 162°30' to 165°00'E. The group extends for about in a northwest–southeast direction. The islands are heavily glaciate ...

. His works are complemented by rag sewn

tapestries Tapestry is a form of textile art which was traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Normally it is used to create images rather than patterns. Tapestry is relatively fragile, and difficult to make, so most historical pieces are intended to han ...

, posters, and advertisements. He also illustrated many books. Bayle was appointed

Peintre de la Marine Peintre de la Marine (, ''Painter of the Fleet'') is a title awarded by the minister of Defence (France), minister of defence in France to artists who have devoted their talents to the sea, the French Navy and other maritime subjects. It was set up ...

in 1944. After the war ended he received an order for a tapestry for the officers of the Rue Royale. Due to his lack of funds, the Naval police provided him with a bundle of material and a team of seamstresses to perform the work. In the 1948 mission to Adélie Land, Commander Max Jacques Henri Douguet accepted Bayle on board with the prevision that he learn how to use a film camera. During the three months of travel Bayle not only learned how to film, he also composed a tapestry commemorating the arrival of

Jules Dumont d'Urville Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville (; 23 May 1790 – 8 May 1842) was a French List of explorers, explorer and French Navy, naval officer who explored the south and western Pacific, Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica. As a botanist an ...

to the territory in 1840. In addition to writing a diary covering the first two Adélie Land expeditions, Bayle wrote ''Le Voyage de la Nouvelle Incomprise'' recounting the same events. From 1960 to 1972, with Hervé Baille Bayle, he created a publishing company (B & B). After designing the logo for the legendary ship '' Calypso'', he conceived and designed the crystal sword used for

Jacques Cousteau Jacques-Yves Cousteau, (, also , ; 11 June 191025 June 1997) was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful open-circuit self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA), called the ...

's official

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

reception in 1989.

Legacy

On 1 January 2003, the

Universal Postal Union The Universal Postal Union (UPU, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations and facilitates a uniform worldwide postal system. It has 192 member states and is headquartered in Be ...

issued a stamp in his honour.

Awards

* Officier de la

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 ...

* Officier du

Ordre du Mérite Maritime The () is a French order established on 9 February 1930 for services rendered by seafarers to recognise the risks involved and the services rendered by seamen, and reflect the important economic role of the Merchant Navy to the country. The or ...

* Officier des

Ordre des Palmes Académiques A suite, in Western classical music, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes; and grew in scope so that by the early 17th century it comprised up to ...

Works

Illustrated books

* Marcelle Vioux, ''Jeanne d'Arc'', 1942 * Jean Variot, ''Les Coursiers de Sainte-Hélène'', 1944 * Pierre Dubard, Le Charcot et La Terre Adélie, France Empire, 1951 * Jacques Mordal, ''La Marine en bois'', Paris, Fayard, 1975

Bibliography

* Luc-Marie Bayle, ''Chemin de Croix'', Paris : ed. Lahure, 1943 * Luc-Marie Bayle, in collaboration with Pierre Dubard, ''Le Charcot et la Terre Adélie'', Paris : France-Empire, 1951 * Luc-Marie Bayle, ''Le Voyage de la Nouvelle-Incomprise'', Paris : ed. Ozanne, 1953 * Luc-Marie Bayle, ''Les corvettes

FNFL The Free French Naval Forces (, or FNFL) were the naval arm of the Free French Forces during the Second World War. They were commanded by Admiral Émile Muselier. History In the wake of the Armistice and the Appeal of 18 June, Charles de Gau ...

'', Paris : Service historique de la marine, 1966 * Luc-Marie Bayle, in collaboration with Hervé Cras, ''La Marine en bois'', Paris : Fayard, 1978 * Luc-Marie Bayle, ''

Mathurin Méheut Mathurin Méheut (21 May 1882 – 22 February 1958) was a French painter, ceramist, engraver, and etcher best known for his depictions of Breton scenes, the sea, and nature. Méheut was born into a family of artisans in Lamballe, Brittany, and ap ...

'', Rennes : Éd. Ouest-France, 1984

Film

Bayle directed and edited a 25 minute film depicting the 1948 and 1949

missions. The film is held at ECPAD.

Notes

References

*Gwen Douguet, ''Cap sur la Terre Adélie, premières expéditions polaires françaises (1948-1951) '', Brest, éditions le Télégramme, 2007, ()

External links

Musée national de la Marine exposition ''De Brest en Terre Adélie'' - photographs by Luc-Marie Bayle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayle, Luc-Marie 1914 births 2000 deaths People from Malo-les-Bains Painters from Hauts-de-France French male painters French illustrators Peintres de la Marine 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists French Navy officers Officiers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques Officers of the Legion of Honour Officers of the Ordre du Mérite Maritime