Gaston Charles Vuillier (7 October 1845,

Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ca, Perpinyà ; es, Perpiñán ; it, Perpignano ) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the ...

– 2 February 1915,

Gimel-les-Cascades Gimel-les-Cascades (; oc, Gimel) is a commune in the Corrèze department in central France. Geography The A89 motorway and the departmental roads 1089, 53, 53E3, 53E4, 26, and 978 cross Gimel-les-Cascades. The village is located 7 km (4.3 ...

) was a French painter, designer, traveller and

ethnographer Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject o ...

. He was employed by many of the major periodicals and journals of the time; including ''

Le Tour du monde ''Le Tour du monde, nouveau journal des voyages'' was a French weekly travel journal first published in January 1860.Le Monde illustré ''Le Monde illustré'' (title translation: ''The Illustrated World'') was a leading illustrated news magazine in France which was published from 1857–1940 and again from 1945 to 1956. It was in many ways similar to its contemporary English ...

''.

Biography

His father, Paul Vuillier, was a blacksmith from

Aude Aude (; ) is a Departments of France, department in Southern France, located in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region and named after the river Aude (river), Aude. The departmental council also calls it "Ca ...

, where he spent most of his childhood. Later, he attended a boarding school in Perpignan. He originally studied to be a lawyer, and worked as a notary, but his desire to be an artist asserted itself, and he enrolled at the ."Le tour du monde de Gaston Vuillier. Biographie d’un peintre ethnographe"
by Daniel Fabre @ Bérose, encyclopédie en ligne des savoirs anthropologiques. It was, however, while serving with the French Army in Algeria that he made his final decision to become a painter, which led to studies with in Paris. In 1878, having just presented his first exhibition at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

, he applied for a position at the Maison Hachette, where he interviewed with

Édouard Charton Édouard Charton (11 May 1807 – 27 February 1890) was an eminent French literary figure who was the founder and, for fifty-five years (1833–88), editor-in-chief of the publication '' Le Magazin pittoresque'', in addition to serving for thi ...

and was hired as an illustrator for their magazines. During his many travels throughout Europe, on his own as well as on assignments, he became acquainted with

Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria ( it, Luigi Salvatore Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Battista Dominico Raineri Ferdinando Carlo Zenobio Antonino, german: Ludwig Salvator Maria Joseph Johann Baptist Dominicus Rainerius Ferdinand Carl Zenobius Antonin) ...

, a noted researcher of the Mediterranean region. This resulted in his working with the folklorist, Giuseppe Pitré.His relationship with the Archduke plays a major part in the historical novel, ''L'Archiduc sans frontière'', by . Éditions du Vieux Caroubier, 2013 These encounters created a lifelong interest in ethnography. For many years after his death, he would be better known for his work in that field than as an artist. In 1892, fascinated by the natural scenery there, he settled in Gimel-les-Cascades, and would later be a staunch advocate for protecting the waterfalls that gave the area its name. He also acted as a landscape designer, adorning the area with walkways, observation sites, gates and trees. Ultimately, despite opposition from local business interests, he was successful in preventing the construction of a dam upriver. He also created large, thoroughly researched works on ''Dance Through the Ages'' (1898) and ''Pleasures and Games'' (1900). In his final years, he focused on illustrating classics by

Prosper Mérimée Prosper Mérimée (; 28 September 1803 – 23 September 1870) was a French writer in the movement of Romanticism, and one of the pioneers of the novella, a short novel or long short story. He was also a noted archaeologist and historian, and a ...

Pierre Louys Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

and

François-René de Chateaubriand François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand (4 September 1768 – 4 July 1848) was a French writer, politician, diplomat and historian who had a notable influence on French literature of the nineteenth century. Descended from an old aristocrati ...

, among others.

Selected works

File:Vuillier-Dancer.jpg, A Female Dancer File:Nouvelle géographie universelle - la terre et les hommes (1876) (14774339661).jpg,

Pulque Pulque (; nci, metoctli), or octli, is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey (agave) plant. It is traditional in central Mexico, where it has been produced for millennia. It has the color of milk, a rather viscous co ...

ro File:Cyclopedia universal history - embracing the most complete and recent presentation of the subject in two principal parts or divisions of more than six thousand pages (1895) (14780824454).jpg, Landakis, or Hill Hindus File:Brive vuillier gimel.JPG, The Grand Cascade
at Gimel

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vuillier, Gaston 19th-century French painters French illustrators French ethnographers French conservationists People from Perpignan 1845 births 1915 deaths 20th-century French painters

Biography

Selected works

References

Further reading

External links