Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scévola (14 November 1871 in Sète, 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. ...

) 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 and Pierre Dupuis at the École des beaux-arts de Paris.

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 us ...

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. 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 B ...

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 List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, 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 b ...

d a gun emplacement with a painted canvas screen. On 12 February 1915 General Joffre 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 artists such as André Mare, a specialist in camouflaging lookout posts. By 1917, De Scévola's team had grown to 3000, taking in artists including Jacques Villon, André Dunoyer de Segonzac,

Charles Camoin Charles Camoin (; 23 September 1879 – 20 May 1965) was a French expressionist landscape painter associated with the Fauves. ''Les Fauves: A Sourcebook'', by Russell T. Clement, p. 2, web: -->&lpg=PA2 Google Books Born in Marseille, Franc ...

, Louis Abel-Truchet and Charles Dufresne.

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 (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 (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 Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , later Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna of Russia (25 November 1876 – 2 March 1936), was the third child and second daughter of Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and of Grand Duchess ...

and her daughter

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