André Mellerio (1862–1943)"Mellerio, André." ''Grove Art Online, Oxford Art Online'',

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

. Retrieved 18 June 2014. was a French art critic who promoted the cause of

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 ...

and "idealist" art and appeared in two pictures by

Maurice Denis Maurice Denis (; 25 November 1870 – 13 November 1943) was a French painter, decorative artist, and writer. An important figure in the transitional period between impressionism and modern art, he is associated with '' Les Nabis'', symbolism, a ...

. He was the biographer, and great friend, of

Odilon Redon Odilon Redon (born Bertrand Redon; ; 20 April 18406 July 1916) was a French Symbolism (arts), symbolist painter, printmaker, Drawing, draughtsman and pastellist. Early in his career, both before and after fighting in the Franco-Prussian War, he ...

Family background

Mellerio was a member of the family that owns the Parisian Mellerio dits Meller jewellery firm, which is believed to be the world's oldest jeweller as well as Europe's oldest family-owned company. As of 2013, it was celebrating its 400th anniversary, having been founded in northern Italy in 1613, and is in its 14th generation of family ownership and continuous operation. Mellerio married Isabelle Leroux, and they had three daughters, Thérèse (1892–?), Marcel (1894–?) and Marthe (1896–?), all shown in the 1897 painting by Denis.

Idealist art

Mellerio elaborated the rise of "idealist art" in ''Le Mouvement idéaliste en peinture'', published in Paris in 1896. He traced the emergence of the form to the ''Exposition des Peintres du Groupe Impressionniste et Synthétiste'' of the Pont-Aven group at the Café Volpini in Paris, 1889, and attributed its origins to

Gustave Moreau Gustave Moreau (; 6 April 1826 – 18 April 1898) was a French artist and an important figure in the Symbolist movement. Jean Cassou called him "the Symbolist painter par excellence".Cassou, Jean. 1979. ''The Concise Encyclopedia of Symbolism.' ...

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 ...

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (14 December 1824 – 24 October 1898) was a French people, French Painting, painter known for his mural painting, who came to be known as "the painter for France". He became the co-founder and president of the Soci ...

and Odilon Redon.

Odilon Redon

Mellerio was a particular promoter of Redon, whom he first met in 1889. He wrote the preface to the catalogue for the exhibition of Redon's work at the Durand Ruel gallery in 1894. Mellerio claimed that Redon was unusual among modern artists in not belonging to any group. In Mellerio's catalogue of Redon's graphic work, published in 1913, Mellerio described Redon as a "mystic" who sought to show the "vague unknown that we sense beneath contingent appearances".

Papers

Mellerio's papers, which include a great deal of biographical information about Redon, are now in the Ryerson and Burnham Archives at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

, who purchased them from a dealer in 1991.André Mellerio Papers
The Art Institute of Chicago, 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.

Publications

Mellerio, with

Noël Clément-Janin Hilaire Noël Sébastien Clément, known as Clément-Janin (1862–1947) was a French writer and art critic, specializing in the modern history of printmaking. Biography His father, Michel-Hilaire Clément (1831–1885), was the author of sever ...

, was the editor in chief of ''L'Estampe et l'Affiche'', an illustrated art magazine (Paris, 1897-1899). Philippe Di Folco, "L'Estampe et l'Affiche, une revue méconnue", i
''La Revue des revues''
issue 52, 25-35, Paris: Fall 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2016 * ''Le Mouvement idéaliste en peinture''. Paris, 1896. * ''La Lithographie originale en couleurs''. Paris, Editions de l'Estampe et l'Affiche, 1898. * ''Odilon Redon''. Paris, Secretariat, 1913. *
Odilon Redon: Peintre, dessinateur et graveur
'. Paris, Henri Floury, 1923.

Family background

Idealist art

Odilon Redon

Papers

Publications

References

Further reading