Eugène Viala (8 September 1859,

Salles-Curan Salles-Curan (; oc, Las Salas) is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. Geography The ''lac de Pareloup'' forms part of the commune's northern border. The river Céor has its source in the western part of the commune. P ...

- 5 March 1913, Salles-Curan) was a French

watercolorist Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

and engraver.

Biography

He began his studies in 1877 at the École des Beaux-Arts in

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

, then, in 1881, enrolled at the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...

in Paris. He married Berthe Ducroët, from

Saint-Geniez-d'Olt Saint-Geniez-d'Olt (, literally ''Saint Geniez of Olt''; oc, Sent Ginièis d'Òlt) is a former commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Saint-Geniez-d'Olt-et-d'Aubrac.

, in 1888. They had four children. His paintings were not successful, partly on account of his physical isolation and lack of social connections, but he excelled in his engravings. Many of these were issued as postcards. His style was generally a combination of

romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

and

symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: Arts * Symbolism (arts), a 19th-century movement rejecting Realism ** Symbolist movement in Romania, symbolist literature and visual arts in Romania during the late 19th and early 20th centuries ** Russian sy ...

. He had several literary friends, notably Remy de Gourmont, the Symbolist poet. From 1908 to 1909, he edited the bi-monthly ''Le Cri de la Terre'', a regional illustrated magazine, produced by Louis Loup-Forveille at his printing shop in

Rodez Rodez ( or ; oc, Rodés, ) is a small city and commune in the South of France, about 150 km northeast of Toulouse. It is the prefecture of the department of Aveyron, region of Occitania (formerly Midi-Pyrénées). Rodez is the seat of the ...

. Thirteen issues were published altogether. He was also a writer, although his work in that area is less known. His publications include ''Paysages'' (Landscapes), a collection of

prose poem Prose poetry is poetry written in prose form instead of verse form, while preserving poetic qualities such as heightened imagery, parataxis, and emotional effects. Characteristics Prose poetry is written as prose, without the line breaks associat ...

s, ''Loin des foules'' (Far from the crowds), poems in verse, and a novel, ''La traversée du Rouergue'' (Crossing

Rouergue Rouergue (; ) is a former province of France, corresponding roughly with the modern department of Aveyron. Its historical capital is Rodez. It is bounded on the north by Auvergne, on the south and southwest by Languedoc, on the east by Gévaudan ...

). For a short time, he worked as a photographer in Rodez. In 1912, he established a studio in

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; literally 'Neuilly on Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is a commune in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in France, just west of Paris. Immediately adjacent to the city, the area is composed of mostly select residentia ...

, with the help of his patron, the industrialist and art collector

Maurice Fenaille Maurice Fenaille (12 June 1855 – 11 December 1937) was a French businessman and pioneer in the petroleum industry The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry or the oil patch, includes the global processes of exploration, extrac ...

. In 1913, while in Paris, he was severely injured in a traffic accident, as he was getting off a tram. He died of his injuries, shortly after being taken back to Salles-Curan. A school, a street, and a square are named after him there. Since 1999, the association ''Les Amis d'Eugène Viala et du Lévezou'' has been organizing exhibitions and cultural activities. His works may be seen at the

Musée Denys-Puech The Musée Denys-Puech is an art gallery in Rodez, France. It was founded in 1910 by the sculptor Denys Puech (1854–1942), winner of the prix de Rome in 1884 and one of the official sculptors of the French Third Republic. The building was comple ...

, , and the

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), comprising the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in the city of San Francisco. The permanent collection of the ...

Selected works

File:Viala-Wife.jpg, Lot's Wife File:Viala-Gorges.jpg, The

Gorges du Tarn The Gorges du Tarn ( oc, Gòrjas de Tarn) is a canyon formed by the Tarn (river) between the Causse Méjean and the Causse de Sauveterre, in southern France. The canyon, mainly located in the Lozère ''département'', and partially in the Aveyron ' ...

File:Viala-Temptation.jpg, The Temptation of St. Anthony File:Viala-Mohicans.jpg, ''

The Last of the Mohicans ''The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757'' is a historical romance written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1826. It is the second book of the '' Leatherstocking Tales'' pentalogy and the best known to contemporary audiences. '' The Pathfinde ...

'' (magazine cover)

References

External links

* "Eugène Viala, un immense graveur méconnu", by Donato Pelayo (in two parts)

https://www.lagglorieuse.info/article_eug-ne-viala-un-immense-graveur-m-connu-2.html] @ L'Agglorieuse * . *
More works by Viala
@ Monster Brains {{DEFAULTSORT:Viala, Eugene 1859 births 1913 deaths French artists French watercolourists French engravers French etchers French poets Road incident deaths in France People from Aveyron

Biography

Selected works

References

Further reading

External links