Émile Jourdan (30 July 1860, in

Vannes Vannes (; , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, French department of Morbihan, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, northwestern mainland France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago. History Celtic ...

– 29 December 1931, in

Quimperlé Quimperlé (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Finistère Departments of France, department, region of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, northwestern France. Geography Quimperlé is in the southeast of Finistère, 20 km t ...

) was a French painter who became one of the artists who gathered in the village of

Pont-Aven Pont-Aven (; in Breton) is a commune in the Finistère department in the Brittany region in Northwestern France. Demographics Inhabitants of Pont-Aven are called in French. Pont-Aven absorbed the former commune of Nizon in 1954, which had ...

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

Early life

Son of Prosper Jourdan, a ranking customs officer, and his wife Aline Paturel, he enjoyed a happy childhood in Vannes in the south of Brittany. He started painting at the age of 16. In 1880, he attended the

École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...

in Paris where he was instructed by William Bouguereau and Tony Robert-Fleury until 1886. He also went on to study at the

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

. Benefitting from the money he received from his parents, he shared a large studio with fellow student Édouard Michelin."Émile Jourdan (1860–1931)"
''Musée des Beaux-Arts de Pont-Aven''. Retrieved 7 May 2012.

Life in Pont-Aven

In the summer of 1886, he arrived in

where, staying at the Pension Gloanec, he met

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He was also an influ ...

. He also became of friend of the other artists who had gathered there including

Émile Bernard Émile Henri Bernard (; 28 April 1868 – 16 April 1941) was a French Post-Impressionist painter and writer, who had artistic friendships with Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin and Eugène Boch, and at a later time, Paul Cézanne. Most of his no ...

, Ernest de Chamaillard,

Charles Laval Charles Laval (; 17 March 1862 – 27 April 1894) was a French painter associated with the Synthetic movement and Pont-Aven School. Laval was born in Paris, and was a contemporary and friend of Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh. Gauguin cre ...

and Henry Moret. He decided to settle in Pont-Aven and lived there until he died in 1931. Influenced by Gauguin, he adopted the Synthetist style of painting and became known as ''le peintre de la lumière'', the painter of light."Emile Jourdan"
''Bretagne.com''. Retrieved 7 May 2012. In 1891, he joined Gauguin and his friends at the Lézaven atelier. He became acquainted with Maxime Maufra at the Hôtel de Bretagne in Pont-Aven where he started a romance with Catherine Guyader, a 19-year-old waitress. In 1892, they set up house together and the following year their son Yann was born to be followed by a daughter, Renée, in 1896, and a second son, Guy, in 1901. After his mother died in 1907, he quickly spent all she left him. Unable to pay his rent, the proprietor expelled him and auctioned off his furniture and paintings. Thereafter he became a pauper, moving between Pont-Aven, Riec-sur-Belon and Moëlan where he was fortunate enough to be supported for a while by friends. After 1910, his paintings became more somber, reflecting his anxiety. Jourdan marine view at twilight

He was soon unable to support his family who left him while he lived in an attic in Pont-Aven. In 1927, he was lucky enough to meet a Mrs. Halley, a rich Australian, who supported him for a year but as he was unwilling to work under her orders, she discontinued her assistance. In 1931, he died in the hospice at Quimperlé, an alcoholic crippled by poverty.

References

Bibliography

*Collectif, ''Émile Jourdan (1860–1931)'', éd. Le Télégramme avec la collaboration du Musée de Pont-Aven, Collection: ''Petite Encyclopédie des Peintres de Bretagne '', 32 p. , *Denise Delouche (ed), ''Pont-Aven et ses peintres. A propos d'un centenaire'', Rennes, Presses Universitaires, 1986 (collection ''Arts de l'Ouest'') 287 p. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jourdan, Emile French Post-impressionist painters 19th-century French painters French male painters 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists 1860 births 1931 deaths Artists from Vannes Pont-Aven painters 19th-century French male artists