Eugène Viala (8 September 1859,

Salles-Curan Salles-Curan (; ) is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. Geography The '' lac de Pareloup'' forms part of the commune's northern border. The river Céor has its source in the western part of the commune. Population ...

- 5 March 1913, Salles-Curan) was a French

watercolorist Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting metho ...

and engraver.

Biography

He began his studies in 1877 at the École des Beaux-Arts in

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

, then, in 1881, enrolled 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 ...

in Paris. He married Berthe Ducroët, from

Saint-Geniez-d'Olt Saint-Geniez-d'Olt (, literally ''Saint Geniez of Lot (river), Olt''; ) is a former Communes of France, commune in the Aveyron Departments of France, department in southern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Saint- ...

, in 1888. They had four children. His paintings were not successful, partly on account of his physical isolation and lack of social connections, but he excelled in his engravings. Many of these were issued as postcards. His style was generally a combination of

romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

and

symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

. He had several literary friends, notably

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 Go ...

, the Symbolist poet. From 1908 to 1909, he edited the bi-monthly ''Le Cri de la Terre'', a regional illustrated magazine, produced by Louis Loup-Forveille at his printing shop in

Rodez Rodez (, , ; , ) is a small city and commune in the South of France, about 150 km northeast of Toulouse. It is the prefecture of the department of Aveyron, region of Occitania (formerly Midi-Pyrénées). Rodez is the seat of the communau ...

. Thirteen issues were published altogether. He was also a writer, although his work in that area is less known. His publications include ''Paysages'' (Landscapes), a collection of

prose poem Prose poetry is poetry written in prose form instead of verse form while otherwise deferring to poetic devices to make meaning. Characteristics Prose poetry is written as prose, without the line breaks associated with poetry. However, it make ...

s, ''Loin des foules'' (Far from the crowds), poems in verse, and a novel, ''La traversée du Rouergue'' (Crossing

Rouergue Rouergue (; ) is a former province of France, corresponding roughly with the modern department of Aveyron. Its historical capital is Rodez. It is bounded on the north by Auvergne, on the south and southwest by Languedoc, on the east by Géva ...

). For a short time, he worked as a photographer in Rodez. In 1912, he established a studio in

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...

, with the help of his patron, the industrialist and art collector Maurice Fenaille. In 1913, while in Paris, he was severely injured in a traffic accident, as he was getting off a tram. He died of his injuries, shortly after being taken back to Salles-Curan. A school, a street, and a square are named after him there. Since 1999, the association ''Les Amis d'Eugène Viala et du Lévezou'' has been organizing exhibitions and cultural activities. His works may be seen at the Musée Denys-Puech, , and the

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), comprising the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in the city of San Francisco. FAMSF's combined attendance was 1,1 ...

Selected works

File:Viala-Wife.jpg,

Lot's Wife In the Bible, Lot's wife is a figure first mentioned in Genesis 19. The Book of Genesis describes how she became a pillar of salt after she looked back at Sodom during its destruction by God. She is not named in the Bible, but is called Ado or ...

File:Viala-Gorges.jpg, The

Gorges du Tarn The Gorges du Tarn () is a canyon formed by the Tarn (river) between the Causse Méjean and the Causse de Sauveterre, in southern France. The canyon, mainly located in the Lozère ''département In the administrative divisions of France, t ...

File:Viala-Temptation.jpg, The Temptation of St. Anthony File:Viala-Mohicans.jpg, ''

The Last of the Mohicans ''The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757'' is an 1826 historical romance novel by James Fenimore Cooper. It is the second book of the '' Leatherstocking Tales'' pentalogy and the best known to contemporary audiences. '' The Pathfinder'', ...

'' (magazine cover)

References

External links

* "Eugène Viala, un immense graveur méconnu", by Donato Pelayo (in two parts)

https://www.lagglorieuse.info/article_eug-ne-viala-un-immense-graveur-m-connu-2.html] @ L'Agglorieuse * . *
More works by Viala
@ Monster Brains {{DEFAULTSORT:Viala, Eugene 1859 births 1913 deaths French artists French watercolourists French engravers 19th-century French etchers French poets Road incident deaths in France People from Aveyron

Biography

Selected works

References

Further reading

External links