Émile Laboureur, known as Jean Émile (16 August 1877, Nantes16 June 1943, near

Pénestin Pénestin (; br, Pennestin) is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France. Inhabitants of Pénestin are called in French ''Pénestinois''. Geography Pénestin is located in Guérande Peninsula, southeast of Vanne ...

) was a French painter, designer, engraver,

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 ...

lithographer Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

, and illustrator.

Biography

He was born to a prosperous bourgeois family. In 1895, he went to Paris and, following his father's wishes, enrolled at a law school. He stayed for only a short time before deciding to pursue a career in the fine arts instead,Anne Lombardini, ''J.E. Laboureur, vie et œuvre gravé'', L'Équerre, 1987 studying at the Académie Julian, where he learned engraving from Auguste-Louis Lepère. His debut at the Salon came in 1896.David Karel, ''Dictionnaire des artistes de langue française en Amérique du Nord'', Presses Université Laval, 1992
Online
/ref> Most of his initial works were

wood engraving Wood engraving is a printmaking technique, in which an artist works an image or ''matrix'' of images into a block of wood. Functionally a variety of woodcut, it uses relief printing, where the artist applies ink to the face of the block and ...

s on

Primitivist Primitivism is a mode of aesthetic idealization that either emulates or aspires to recreate a "primitive" experience. It is also defined as a philosophical doctrine that considers "primitive" peoples as nobler than civilized peoples and was an o ...

themes, reminiscent of

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...

. After a stay in Germany, visiting museums, he went to the United States in 1904. It was there he first began referring to himself as "Jean Émile". He returned to the United States and Canada several times from 1905 to 1909, to participate in exhibits. After 1911, he travelled to England, Italy, Greece, and Turkey. Upon returning to Europe, he settled in Paris, where he switched from wood engraving to

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

. Despite being conscripted in 1914, he continued to make sketches for his works and published three series of engravings on the theme of war. He illustrated his first book, ''L'Appartement des jeunes filles'' by , in 1919. He would eventually illustrate sixty-six titles, including works by

Jean Giraudoux Hippolyte Jean Giraudoux (; 29 October 1882 – 31 January 1944) was a French novelist, essayist, diplomat and playwright. He is considered among the most important French dramatists of the period between World War I and World War II. His wo ...

Jacques Cazotte Jacques Cazotte (; 17 October 1719 – 25 September 1792) was a French author. Life Born in Dijon, he was educated by the Jesuits. Cazotte then worked for the French Ministry of the Marine and at the age of 27 he obtained a public office at Mar ...

Remy de Gourmont Remy de Gourmont (4 April 1858 – 27 September 1915) was a French symbolist poet, novelist, and influential critic. He was widely read in his era, and an important influence on Blaise Cendrars and Georges Bataille. The spelling ''Rémy'' de Gour ...

Auguste de Villiers de L'Isle-Adam Jean-Marie-Mathias-Philippe-Auguste, comte de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam (7 November 1838 – 19 August 1889) was a French symbolist writer. His family called him Mathias while his friends called him Villiers; he would also use the name Auguste wh ...

, André Maurois,

Colette Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known mononymously as Colette, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaking world for her ...

, Tristan Derème, Anna de Noailles, Paul-Jean Toulet and Marcel Proust. He also contributed to magazines and journals, such as '' Gazette du Bon Ton'' and ''

La Revue musicale ''La Revue musicale'' was a music magazine founded by Henry Prunières in 1920. ''La Revue musicale'' of Prunières was undoubtedly the first music publishing magazine giving as much attention to the quality of editing, iconography, and illustrat ...

'', and taught engraving in his workshop. Among his notable students were

Marie Laurencin Marie Laurencin (31 October 1883 – 8 June 1956) was a French painter and printmaker. She became an important figure in the Parisian avant-garde as a member of the Cubists associated with the Section d'Or. Biography Laurencin was born in Paris ...

and

André Dunoyer de Segonzac André Dunoyer de Segonzac (6 July 1884 – 17 September 1974) was a French painter and graphic artist. Biography Segonzac was born in Boussy-Saint-Antoine and spent his childhood there and in Paris. His parents wanted him to attend the military ...

. At the beginning of the 1930s, he was commissioned to provide illustrations for the '' Catalogue Manufrance'', which employed engravings for several decades after that. Although based in Paris, he bought a house in

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

and spent the summer months there. One of his drawings of a Breton landscape was engraved by and featured on the two

Francs The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centu ...

stamp in 1935. From 1928 to 1935, he wrote several books and articles on the art of engraving; notably ''Considérations sur la gravure originale'' (1928), published in Brussels.Listing
@ Gallica During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he became ill and retired to his home near Pénestin, where he died in 1943. A street in Nantes was named after him.Nantes Street Directory
/ref> His works may be seen at the

Musée du Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, the Musée d'Orsay, the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes and the .

Selected works

Cimetiere-1899.jpg, Cemetery Marche-aux-legumes-1908.jpg, Vegetable Market Les-derniers-bus-1912.jpg, The Last Bus File:Bachelors-s-fare-1916.jpg, Bachelor's Fare Negres-americains-a-saint-nazaire-1917.jpg, Black Americans
at Saint-Nazaire File:La-fille-aux-oies-1916.jpg, The Goose Lady

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laboureur, Jean Emile 1877 births 1943 deaths French artists French engravers French etchers French illustrators Académie Julian Artists from Nantes

Biography

Selected works

References

Further reading

External links