Gustave Moreau
Gustave Moreau was born on April 6, 1826, the son of a Parisian municipal architect. His artistic ability was evident at a very young age, and he entered the Ecole des Beaux Arts where he studied under Francois Edouard Picot. He also learned much from Theodore Chasseriau and the paintings of Delacroix, whose style had a great influence on him. Between 1856 and 1866 , Moreau exhibited many works in the Paris salons, the e most famous of which , "Oedipus And The Sphinx" became emblematic of "Symbolism" , a movement lead by Moreau and Odilon Redon in which the use of realistic subjects for paintings was subverted by the use of literary and mythological subjects that were symbolic of virtues the symbolists felt were absent at the end of the century. Moreau1s work is marked by it1s elaborate evocation of dreamlike mythological worlds , and while many of his best works , including "The Apparition" (1876) and "Prometheus" (1868) were done in oil, he also executed many watercolors that were notable for their expressive use of color and flashes of bright light. As the century cam to a close , Moreau began to despise his contemporary culture , and became a hermit . In his famous 1884 novel , " A Rebors" ( "Against Nature") Joris Karl Husymans used Moreau as a model for his reclusive hero. After his death from cancer in 1895, Moreau1s home was turned into the Musee Gustave Moreau , which still exhibits his oils , watercolors and drawings. The museum has a web page at http://www.paris-tourism.com/museums/mor... . For reproducitons of his art , take a look at Mark Harden1s Texas Net Museum of Art1s Moreau page (http://www.artchive.com/artchive/M/morea... for reproducitons of "The Apparition" , "Orpheus" and more.
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