Maurice Chabas (21 September 1862,

Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

– 11 December 1947,

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

) was a French

Symbolist Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

painter.

Biography

Chabas came from a family of painters. Being the eldest child, he had to take over the family business, although he was interested in painting. His younger brothers, Maurice and Paul, were renowned painters. Chabas was a prolific artist, and debuted his work in 1885 at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

, where he would continue to present his works until 1913. Chabas was also a sensitive and often mystical artist and participated in many

Rosicrucian Rosicrucianism () is a spirituality, spiritual and cultural movement that arose in early modern Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts announcing to the world a new Western esotericism, esoteric order. Rosicruc ...

meetings in the 1890s. His reputation spreads and by 1895, is the subject of an exhibition at a gallery in Paris. In 1900, Chabas moved to

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...

, where his studio became a hub for scholars like

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Maurice Maeterlinck Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949), also known as Count/Comte Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the 1911 Nobel Prize in ...

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, Lucien Lévy-Brulh,

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, Edouard Schuré, and

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. Until he moved to Neuilly-sur-Seine, Chabas was a little-known figure. That changed after 1900, when his popularity escalated. In 1910 he met the Belgian Gabrielle Storms-Castelot, and they had two children, the writer André Castelot and the actor

Jacques Castelot Jacques Castelot (born Jacques Marie Paul Éloi Storms) (11 July 1914 – 25 August 1989) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1938 and 1982. His brother was the writer André Castelot and their father was the ...

. In 1917, he became a member of the

Theosophical Society The Theosophical Society is the organizational body of Theosophy, an esoteric new religious movement. It was founded in New York City, U.S.A. in 1875. Among its founders were Helena Blavatsky, a Russian mystic and the principal thinker of the ...

, although he also maintained friendships with leading Roman Catholic intellectuals such as novelist

François Mauriac François Charles Mauriac (; ; 11 October 1885 – 1 September 1970) was a French novelist, dramatist, critic, poet, and journalist, a member of the'' Académie française'' (from 1933), and laureate of the 1952 Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Pr ...

. In the last years of his life, Chabas mostly cultivated his personal mysticism and lived as a recluse. He died in solitude in his Versailles home on 11 December 1947.Myriam de Palma,''Maurice Chabas (1862-1947), peintre et messager spirituel'', Paris: Somogy 2009, 11-20.

Gallery

File:Maurice Chabas - Néméa 1894.jpg, ''Néméa'', 1894 File:Maurice Chabas - L'Apparition.jpg, ''L'Apparition'', circa 1900 File:Maurice Chabas - L'Élegante dans l'Atelier.jpg, ''L'Élegante dans l'Atelier'', circa 1900 File:Maurice Chabas - Return to Cythera.jpg, ''Return to Cythera'', circa 1900 File:Maurice Chabas - Reverie au Bord du Lac.jpg, ''Reverie au Bord du Lac'', circa 1900 File:Maurice Chabas - Two Women in a Park.jpg, ''Two Women in a Park'', circa 1900 File:Maurice Chabas La chaste Suzanne.jpg, ''La chaste Suzanne'', 1903 File:M. Chabas, Pins de Kerdruc.jpg, circa 1905

References

19th-century French painters French male painters 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists French Symbolist painters 1862 births 1947 deaths 19th-century French male artists {{France-painter-19thC-stub