Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scévola (14 November 1871 in

Sète Sète (; oc, Seta, ), also historically spelt ''Cette'' (official until 1928) and ''Sette'', is a commune in the Hérault department, in the region of Occitania, southern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Sétois'' (male) and ''Sétoises' ...

, France – 29 March 1950 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

) was a French painter. He is known for his pioneering leadership of the ''Camoufleurs'' (the French Camouflage Department) in World War I.

Early life

De Scévola was a student of

Fernand Cormon Fernand Cormon (24 December 1845 – 20 March 1924) was a French painter born in Paris. He became a pupil of Alexandre Cabanel, Eugène Fromentin, and Jean-François Portaels, and one of the leading historical painters of modern France. Biograph ...

and

Pierre Dupuis Pierre Dupuis or Pierre Dupuys (3 March 1610 in Montfort-l'Amaury – 18 February 1682 in Paris) was a French painter. He lived in Italy, where he met Pierre Mignard Pierre Mignard or Pierre Mignard I (17 November 1612 – 30 May 1695 ...

at the

École des beaux-arts de Paris The Beaux-Arts de Paris is a French ''grande école A ''grande école'' () is a specialised university that is separate from, but parallel and often connected to, the main framework of the French public university system. The grandes écoles ...

Pastellist

De Scévola was a

pastel A pastel () is an art medium in a variety of forms including a stick, a square a pebble or a pan of color; though other forms are possible; they consist of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those use ...

list, remarkable for his silky, velvety and smooth style. "Making his only aesthetic concern accuracy of the most naked kind" (E. Benézit), he left an extensive body of work including scenes of alcoves, landscapes, flowers and society portraits. However his Symbolist-inspired works are particularly esteemed. He exhibited at the

Salon des artistes français The Salon (french: Salon), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art ...

. De Scévola was a member of the ''Société des Pastellistes Français'' and the ''Comité de la Société des Beaux-Arts'' de Paris. He was made an Officer of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

in 1914, by which time he was known as an elegant society portrait artist.

Military camouflage

De Scévola is considered one of the inventors of

military camouflage Military camouflage is the use of camouflage by an armed force to protect personnel and equipment from observation by enemy forces. In practice, this means applying colour and materials to military equipment of all kinds, including vehicles, ...

during

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 ...

, together with Eugène Corbin and the painter Louis Guingot. At the start of the war, in September 1914, De Scévola, serving as a second-class gunner, experimentally

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

d a gun emplacement with a painted canvas screen. On 12 February 1915

General Joffre Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre (12 January 1852 – 3 January 1931) was a French general who served as Commander-in-Chief of French forces on the Western Front from the start of World War I until the end of 1916. He is best known for regroup ...

established the ''"Section de Camouflage"'' ( en, Camouflage department) at

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 ...

. By May 1915 the Section de Camouflage put up its first observation tree, an iron lookout post camouflaged with bark and other materials during the Battle of Artois. By the end of 1915, De Scévola became commander of the French Camouflage Corps, employing

cubist Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...

artists such as

André Mare Charles André Mare (1885–1932), or André-Charles Mare, was a French painter and textile designer, and co-founder of the Company of French Art (''la Compagnie des Arts Français'') in 1919. He was a designer of colorful textiles, and was one o ...

, a specialist in camouflaging lookout posts. By 1917, De Scévola's team had grown to 3000, taking in artists including

Jacques Villon Jacques Villon (July 31, 1875 – June 9, 1963), also known as Gaston Duchamp, was a French Cubist and abstract painter and printmaker. Early life Born Émile Méry Frédéric Gaston Duchamp in Damville, Eure, in Normandy, France, he came ...

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 ...

, Charles Camoin,

Louis Abel-Truchet Louis Abel-Truchet (29 December 1857 9 September 1918) was a French painter and poster artist. He was known for landscapes, genre scenes and depictions of Parisian nightlife. Biography He was a student of Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant and ...

and

Charles Dufresne Georges-Charles Dufresne (23 November 1876, Millemont - 8 August 1938, La Seyne-sur-Mer) was a French painter, engraver, sculptor and decorator. Biography He came from a family of sailors and fishermen that originated in Granville. He lef ...

Works

''"SSNBA" indicates the work was exhibited at the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts''. * Road to Provence (exhibited at

National Museum of Serbia The National Museum of Serbia ( sr, / ) is the largest and oldest museum in Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in the central zone of Belgrade on a square plot between the Republic Square, formerly Theatre Square, and three streets: Čika Ljubina ...

) * Le

Château de Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed ...

(SSNBA 1920) * Portrait du Marquis de Massa (SSNBA 1908) * Portrait de Mlle W. (SSNBA 1909) * Cour d'honneur (SSNBA 1909) * Portrait de Mlle Tiane (SSNBA 1911) * Portrait de M.

Pierre Lafitte Pierre Lafitte (1770–1821) was a pirate in the Gulf of Mexico and smuggler in the early 19th century. He also ran a blacksmith shop in New Orleans, his legitimate business. Pierre was historically less well known than his younger brother, Jea ...

(SSNBA 1912) * Aïda Boni, de l'Opéra (SSNBA 1913) * Portrait de Mme V. G. (SSNBA 1910) * Mme Fournials * M. Severin sur son lit de mort * Portrait du général Fayolle

Publications

Paintings

File:Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scévola - Jeune fille de face.jpg, Jeune Fille De Face, 1899 painting File:Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scévola - The King's Daughter.jpg, The King's Daughter File:Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scévola - La Princesse.jpg, The Princess File:Guirand de Scevola - Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and her daughter.jpg, Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and her

daughter A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show relations between group ...

References

;Notes ;Bibliography *

External links

Art Inconnu: de Scévola

The Athenaeum: The King's Daughter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guirand De Scevola, Lucien Victor 19th-century French painters 19th-century French male artists 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists 1871 births 1950 deaths Camoufleurs French male painters Military camouflage Officiers of the Légion d'honneur People from Sète