Philippe Jullian
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Philippe Jullian (real name: Philippe Simounet; 11 July 1919 – 25 September 1977) was a French
illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...
,
art historian Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Traditionally, the ...
,
biographer Biographers are authors who write an account of another person's life, while autobiographers are authors who write their own biography. Biographers Countries of working life: Ab=Arabia, AG=Ancient Greece, Al=Australia, Am=Armenian, AR=Ancient Rome ...
,
aesthete Aestheticism (also known as the aesthetic movement) was an art movement in the late 19th century that valued the appearance of literature, music, fonts and the arts over their functions. According to Aestheticism, art should be produced to b ...
,
novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...
and
dandy A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance and personal grooming, refined language and leisurely hobbies. A dandy could be a self-made man both in person and ''persona'', who emulated the aristocratic style of l ...
.


Early life

Jullian was born in
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
in 1919. His maternal grandfather was the historian
Camille Jullian Camille Jullian (15 March 1859 – 12 December 1933) was a French historian, philologist, archaeologist and historian of literature. A Professor of ancient history and classics at the University of Bordeaux from 1891, Jullian was awarded a chai ...
, known for his multi-volume history of
Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...
; his mother had married a man named Simounet, a war veteran whose life ended in poverty and whose name Philippe rejected in favour of his more distinguished grandfather's. Jullian studied literature at university but left to pursue drawing and painting. In his later years, he resided in England but regularly spent winters in Africa. He also travelled extensively in India and Egypt.


Works

One of his first officially noted works was the first "artist's" label for the famous wine from
Château Mouton Rothschild Château Mouton Rothschild is a wine estate located in the village of Pauillac in the Médoc region, 50 km (30 mi) north-west of the city of Bordeaux, France. Originally known as ''Château Brane-Mouton'', its red wine was renamed by N ...
in 1945, in memory of the
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
victory over Germany. Jullian's book illustrations are witty, ornate, and often grotesque. He produced illustrations for his own books as well as works by
Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly ; ; born Honoré Balzac; 20 May 1799 – 18 August 1850) was a French novelist and playwright. The novel sequence ''La Comédie humaine'', which presents a panorama of post-Napoleonic French life, is ...
,
Colette Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known as Colette or Colette Willy, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a Mime artist, mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaki ...
,
Fyodor Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and journalist. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in both Russian and world literature, and many of his works are considered highly influent ...
,
Ronald Firbank Arthur Annesley Ronald Firbank (17 January 1886 – 21 May 1926) was an innovative English novelist. His eight short novels, partly inspired by the London aesthetes of the 1890s, especially Oscar Wilde, consist largely of dialogue, with referen ...
,
Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust ( ; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, literary critic, and essayist who wrote the novel (in French – translated in English as ''Remembrance of Things Past'' and more r ...
, and
Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...
, among others. His books and articles on
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
,
Symbolism 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 ...
, and other art movements of the fin-de-siècle helped bring about a revival of interest in the period. These include the biography ''
Robert de Montesquiou The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...
'' (1965), ''Prince of Aesthetes'' (1967), ''Esthétes et Magiciens'' (1969) translated as ''Dreamers of Decadence'' (1971), ''Les Symbolistes'' (1973), and ''The Triumph of Art Nouveau'' (1974). Among others, he admired French painter
Antonio de La Gandara Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular m ...
. A collector, he published his autobiography, ''La Brocante'', which detailed the "love of small objects", in 1975. Works of fiction by Jullian dealt with the decadent, sensual, and macabre. He explored the themes of
homoeroticism Homoeroticism is sexual attraction between members of the same sex, including both male–male and female–female attraction. The concept differs from the concept of homosexuality: it refers specifically to the desire itself, which can be tempor ...
,
sado-masochism Sadism () and masochism (), known collectively as sadomasochism ( ) or S&M, is the derivation of pleasure from acts of respectively inflicting or receiving pain or humiliation. The term is named after the Marquis de Sade, a French author known ...
,
transvestism Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes traditionally or stereotypically associated with a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and express onesel ...
and the aesthetic life. His gift for satire is evident both in fiction such as ''La Fuite en Egypte'' (1968; published as ''The Flight into Egypt'', 1970) and in his works of social satire, including ''Dictionnaire du Snobisme'' ("The Snob-Spotter's Guide", 1958), ''Les Collectioneurs'' ("The Collectors", 1967), and most notably his collaboration with the British novelist
Angus Wilson Sir Angus Frank Johnstone-Wilson (11 August 191331 May 1991) was an English novelist and short story writer. He was one of England's first openly gay authors. He was awarded the 1958 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for '' The Middle Age of Mrs ...
, ''For Whom the Cloche Tolls: A Scrap-Book of the Twenties'' (1953), which he also illustrated. Other books include ''
Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...
'' (1977) and ''Les Orientalistes'' (1977), works of art history; and biographies of
Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...
(1962), Wilde (1967), Gabriele D'Annunzio (1971),
Jean Lorrain Jean Lorrain (9 August 1855 in Fécamp, Seine-Maritime – 30 June 1906), born Paul Alexandre Martin Duval, was a French poet and novelist of the Symbolist school. Lorrain was a dedicated disciple of dandyism and spent much of his time am ...
(1974), Violet Trefusis (1976), and
Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including by Alexandre Dumas fils, ...
. Jullian's ''Journal, 1940–1950'' (published 2009) documents his experiences and responses to the
German occupation of France The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...
. On 22 March 1944 he wrote: An article written by Jullian appeared in 1977 in the ''
Architectural Digest ''Architectural Digest'' (stylized in all caps) is an American monthly magazine founded in 1920. Its principal subjects are interior design and landscaping, rather than pure external architecture. The magazine is published by Condé Nast ...
'' about the
Shah of Iran The monarchs of Iran ruled for over two and a half millennia, beginning as early as the 7th century BC and enduring until the 20th century AD. The earliest Iranian king is generally considered to have been either Deioces of the Median dynasty () ...
's new palace.


Death

In the 1970s Jullian experienced a series of personal tragedies: the death of his friend Violet Trefusis in 1972; the destruction of many of his possessions, including his pictures after a fire broke out in his apartment; and in September 1977 the stabbing to death by a stranger of his Moroccan manservant and companion, Hamoud, on whom he had increasingly depended. Five days afterwards he committed
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
by hanging.


Bibliography

* ''For Whom the Cloche Tolls: A Scrap-book of the Twenties'' (with
Angus Wilson Sir Angus Frank Johnstone-Wilson (11 August 191331 May 1991) was an English novelist and short story writer. He was one of England's first openly gay authors. He was awarded the 1958 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for '' The Middle Age of Mrs ...
), London: Methuen (1953) * ''Scraps'', London: Frederick Muller (1961) * ''My Lord'', Paris: Albin Michel (1961) * ''The Collectors'', London: Sidgwick & Jackson (1967) * ''Edward and the Edwardians'', London: Sidgwick & Jackson (1967) * ''Robert de Montesquiou: A Fin-de-Siècle Prince'', London: Secker & Warburg (1967); ''Prince of Aesthetes: Count Robert de Montesquiou 1855–1921'', New York: Viking (1968) * ''Oscar Wilde'', London: Constable (1969); ''Oscar Wilde: A Gallic View of His Whole Extraordinary Career, Drawing on Fresh Sources'', New York: Viking (1969); ''Oscar Wilde'' (new edition with Jonathan Harris), London: Constable & Robinson (1994) * ''The Flight into Egypt. A Fantasy'', London: Elek Books (1970) * ''Dreamers Of Decadence: Symbolist Painters of the 1890s'', London: Pall Mall Press (1971) * ''D'Annunzio'', London: Pall Mall Press (1972); New York: Viking (1973) * ''The Symbolists'', Oxford: Phaidon Press (1973) * ''The Triumph of Art Nouveau: Paris Exhibition 1900'', Oxford: Phaidon Press (1974) * ''Le Style Second Empire'', Paris: Baschet et Cie (1975) * ''Violet Trefusis: Life and Letters'' (with John Phillips), London: Hamish Hamilton (1976); ''The Other Woman: A Life of Violet Trefusis, Including Previously Unpublished Correspondence With Vita Sackville-West'', New York: Houghton Mifflin (1976); ''Violet Trefusis: A Biography'' new edition, Harvest (1985) * ''De Meyer'' (edited by Robert Brandau), London: Thames & Hudson (1976) * ''Montmartre'', Oxford: Phaidon Press (1977) * ''The Orientalists: European Painters of Eastern Scenes'', Oxford: Phaidon Press (1977) * ''Sarah Bernhardt'', Paris: Balland (1977) * ''Le Style Louis XVI'', Paris: Baschet et Cie (1977) *''La Belle Époque'', New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1982)


References


External links


Italian Dandies Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jullian, Philippe 1919 births 1977 suicides 1977 deaths Writers from Bordeaux French gay writers French LGBTQ novelists 20th-century French novelists Winners of the Prix Broquette-Gonin (literature) French male novelists 20th-century French male writers 20th-century French LGBTQ people