Camille Clovis Trouille (24 October 1889 – 24 September 1975) was a French artist known for

surrealistic Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

paintings of erotic and

anti-clerical Anti-clericalism is opposition to religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historical anti-clericalism has mainly been opposed to the influence of Roman Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secularism, which seeks to ...

subjects.

Career

He was born in

La Fère La Fère () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in France. Population See also * Communes of the Aisne department The following is a list of the 799 Communes of France, communes in the French Departments of France, de ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and was trained at the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

from 1905 to 1910. His service in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

gave him a lifelong hatred of the military, expressed in his first major painting ''Remembrance'' (1931). The painting depicts a pair of wraith-like soldiers clutching white rabbits, an airborne female contortionist throwing a handful of medals, and the whole scene being blessed by a cross-dressing cardinal. This contempt for the Church as a corrupt institution provided Trouille with the inspiration for decades of work: *''Dialogue at the Carmel'' (1944) shows a skull wearing a

crown of thorns According to the New Testament, a woven crown of thorns ( or grc, ἀκάνθινος στέφανος, akanthinos stephanos, label=none) was placed on the head of Jesus during the events leading up to his crucifixion. It was one of the instru ...

being used as an ornament. *''The Mummy'' shows a mummified woman coming to life as a result of a shaft of light falling on a large bust of

André Breton André Robert Breton (; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') o ...

. *''The Magician'' (1944) has a self-portrait satisfying a group of swooning women with a wave of his magician's wand. *''My Tomb'' (1947) shows Trouille's tomb as a focal point of corruption and depravity in a graveyard. Trouille's other common subjects were sex, as shown in ''Lust'' (1959), a portrait of the

Marquis de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade (; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814), was a French nobleman, revolutionary politician, philosopher and writer famous for his literary depictions of a libertine sexuality as well as numerous accusat ...

sitting in the foreground of a landscape decorated with a tableau of various perversions, and a "madly egoistic bravado" employed in a self-mocking style. He worked primarily for himself and made his living as a restorer and decorator of department store mannequins. His 1946 portrait of a reclining nude shown from behind entitled ''Oh! Calcutta, Calcutta!''—a pun in French—was chosen as the title for the 1969

musical revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own durin ...

Oh! Calcutta! ''Oh! Calcutta!'' is an avant-garde, risque theatrical revue created by British drama critic Kenneth Tynan. The show, consisting of sketches on sex-related topics, debuted Off-Broadway in 1969 and then in the West End in 1970. It ran in London ...

''. (The French phrase "oh quel cul t'as" translates roughly as "oh what a lovely ass you have".) Trouille died in Paris on 24 September 1975.

Style

After his work was seen by

Louis Aragon Louis Aragon (, , 3 October 1897 – 24 December 1982) was a French poet who was one of the leading voices of the surrealist movement in France. He co-founded with André Breton and Philippe Soupault the surrealist review ''Littérature''. He wa ...

and

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...

, Trouille was declared a

Surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

—a label Trouille accepted only as a way of gaining exposure, not having any real sympathy with that movement. Nonetheless, he maintained contact with the surrealists, including Breton and

Marcel Jean Marcel Jean (1900 in La Charité-sur-Loire, France - 4 December 1993 in Louveciennes, France) was a French painter, writer, and sculptor who joined the surrealist movement in 1933. He is perhaps best known for his trompe l'oeil painting ''Armoire ...

. The simple style and lurid colouring of Trouille's paintings echo the lithographic posters used in advertising in the first half of the 20th century.

Awards

In 2019 the

National Leather Association International National Leather Association International (NLA-I) is a BDSM organization, based in the United States with chapters in various cities in the United States and Canada. It was founded in 1986 as the "National Leather Association" (NLA), as a nationa ...

established an award named after Trouille for creators of surrealistic erotic art.

References

External links

clovis-trouille.com"Under the Influence: The Sexy, Sordid Surrealism of Clovis Trouille"
by Kirsten Anderson
Two works (''The Magician'' and ''Les joueuses de cartes'')
not shown in the "Galerie" at the official Clovis Trouille site. Scroll about two-thirds of the way down the page. {{DEFAULTSORT:Trouille, Clovis 1889 births 1975 deaths People from La Fère 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists French male painters French surrealist artists

Career

Style

Awards

Further reading

References

External links