| The admirable attitudes of Mr. Alfred Lombard and the fervent nobility of Mr. Girieud are indications of an urgent direction of the new painting. Mr. Girieud, particularly, asserts himself in a magnificent possession of his art. We have seen him for a long time seek, in an area which he had voluntarily limited, the proud and rich style to which he is nowadays obliged to have determined the measure of such a loyal effort. Its landscapes of thick greenery, with black cypresses, with lively and powerful undulations, bear its mark and the large canvas: the Toilet of Venus which it exposes, in the room IV bis, is of an indisputable authority.
I like the frankness of these artists who rejected everything they did not recognize merit or seduction. In this way, by a progressive purification of their means, they touch the first term of a company which they will soon congratulate for having conceived. We can judge them now. The proofs they provide of their talent are of perfect loyalty, of a happy discipline, and of an original feeling.
What should we conclude? The admirers of Mr. Bonnard do not like Mr. Girieud and those of the latter hate Cubism. Perhaps one will hear about the research that MM. Luc Albert Moreau, Tobeen and Dunoyer de Segonzac seem to have accomplished. I still think that these painters sacrifice a little too much color and that they are not especially applied to overcoming difficulties. We should not notice it. The Toilet of Venus, on the other hand, offers a beautiful example of naturalness and serenity. The bill is large, the color high and nourished by some spirit, which recognizes and observes the laws it has set, throbs in the radiance of each of the figures that the painter has created. Let's give Mr. Girieud his place. He deserves it in more ways than one. Now, who wants, can conclude. |