Tucked away on a much less busy Parisian street is the home and atelier of symbolist painter Gustave Moreau.
He was a teacher as well as a painter whose pupils included Henri Matisse. He has work in some museums but mostly kept his work together with the idea of bequeathing a great collection that would be impactful in presentation if together. All told he produced some 8,000 works in his lifetime including illustration and sculpture, much of which is in the residence that is now the museum.
The place is truly beautiful and he remodeled it so the working and display space were much bigger than the living space. Filled not only with his work but that of friends from around the world. I have read that some people become overwhelmed by the work and space, but I did not feel this way. Maybe it's because I have been to House on the Rock that I would not find anywhere overwhelming anymore. I also just like the style of decor a great deal. It is a touch gilded, a touch handcrafted but also indicates the use of at the time modern technologies. Artfully put together it makes the impression of someone vastly enamored of books and the world in general. He also did not whitewash all his work which I can appreciate a great deal.
He was a sickly child and as such his mother(who was deaf yet managed their home and his career) lavished attention on Moreau and he cared for her till she died. He was a childhood friend of Degas when they both were in Italy. He also at the time met Alexandrine Dureux whom he introduced to drawing. She would remain, right up until her death in 1890, his “best and only friend”. They never lived together but she had a home a short walking distance from his and they were together nearly everyday. When she died he bought all her possessions and burned all their correspondence.
Moreau only had one solo exhibit in his entire life.
He entered a piece into the famous Salon in which he received a medal and bad critical reviews so he did not exhibit again for many years.
I took some pictures of some of my favorite pieces but not the one that truly took my breath away. I didn't see the point. There is not a way to capture it. I will include a link to it and some of its history. I encourage you to look at it but know that it does not do it justice-Jupiter and Semele 1895
