Posted by Thomas on October 03, 20100 at 14:41:40:
In Reply to: Gustave Moreau posted by Dan on October 02, 20100 at 01:16:43:
: I'm looking for references to Gustave Moreau in relationship to Duchamp, any help?
Dear Dan,
The only Moreau reference I could find at the moment comes from an early interview with Duchamp,
"A Complete Reversal of Art Opinions by Marcel Duchamp,"
published in "Arts and Decorations" vol. 5, no. 11 (september 1915) at a time when MD had
just turned 28. In it (and I am paraphrasing from the German source in: Serge Stauffer,
"Marcel Duchamp. Interviews and Statements," Ostfildern: Cantz, 1991, pp. 9-10) MD says that
if one takes all traces of influences by tradition from Moreau's paintings, one will find that he was the most isolated [independent] figure of his time. MD then goes on to assert that between
Odilon Redon and Moreau there is a strong commonality re: refinement, color and sensibility. Redon in turn according to MD, proved to be one of the sources for Magritte's art.
MD held Redon in high esteem and once defined him as the major force behind his early
paintings. The Surrealists in Paris adored Moreau and turned his studio/museum in the
rue Rambouillet (where it may still be visited today) into a highly frequented shrine.
In addition, MD once mentioned Picabia as having been his closest friend and it can easily be observed that Francis Picabia's
art owes a great deal to Gustave Moreau's style of painting (espec. the visible layering of various levels and stages within
the ptgs.' narrative structure.
Best and good luck with your research,
Thomas