Fernand DESMOULIN (1853-1914) - Lot 228

Fernand DESMOULIN (1853-1914) Untitled "visage", circa 1900 Two medium-sized graphite drawings on a single double-sided sheet. Slight crease at upper right corner. 25.5 x 20.2 cm The figure of Fernand Desmoulins (1853-1914) cannot fail to fascinate through its paradoxes. Painter and engraver, member of the very serious Salon des artistes français, then of the Société nationale des beaux-arts, Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur, he is the archetypal classical painter of the late 19th century. The death of his first wife and sentimental setbacks led this close friend of Émile Zola to turn to spiritualism in the late 19th century. During nocturnal séances, his hand, guided by the spirits, laid down astonishing forms of ectoplasmic faces on paper, producing a most delirious form of automatic writing. automatic writing, projecting a creative singularity that was unique in its time. The museum dedicated to him in Brantôme-en-Périgord presents the two facets of this extraordinary artist's work.