Carnets (1913-1918) – Notebooks by Maurice Esmein (French edition, 2022) is the memoir – the diary – of French cubist artist Maurice Esmein which I purchased at his art exhibition on 6 January 2023 (the exhibition was held from 8 December 2022 to 7 January 2023).
Maurice Marcel Marie Esmein (1888-1918) was born in the 16th arrondissement of Paris and studied medicine. Inspired by his uncle, Julien Le Blant (1851-1936), who was a military painter, Maurice turned to painting. He commenced painting in 1913 at the age of 25, but at the start of the First World War (1914-1918), Maurice was assigned as an auxiliary doctor at the Chaptal High School Hospital in the 8th arrondissement of Paris.
In 1917, he volunteered to go the war front as a doctor. He was assigned to a patrol station near Reims in the east of France. One night, there was a lack of volunteers for a reconnaissance mission, so his patrol volunteered. The patrol’s position was caught in the enemy’s searchlight and attacked. Maurice Esmein was killed on 4 February 1918 at Vaudesincourt. It was his 30th birthday.
From 1913, when he first commenced painting, he kept hand-written notebooks (the French term is carnets). French writer Leon Werth (1878-1955) was also a reserve soldier and assigned to rear duties at the start of the First World War. He knew that Maurice had notebooks because he mentioned it in his 1923 book Some Painters: ‘Maurice Esmein wrote excellent pages on contemporaty painters … And I hope that these texts, which Charles Vildrac communicated to me, will soon be published.’ He is referring to Charles Vildrac (1882-1971), the French poet.
Generations later, in 2016, Maurice’s relatives found the notebooks in the family archives. Éditions Hermann published these notebooks in one publication in November 2022 for the first time – in his native language, French. Hence, this is not a translation, but a transcription of his notes, expertly transcribed by Nadine Alcan.
Maurice Esmein was diligent in writing notes, even from the war front. His notes are his reflections of his paintings, his views on impressionism and cubism, his rationale for his subject matter, and his descriptions of the way he constructed his ‘modern’ art. He writes of the new Cubist Movement and on the works of Monet, Renoir, Matisse, and Picasso.
He critiques his own paintings and points out their mistakes. In 1916, he wonders whether impressionism and cubism can be merged, combining their sensuality and sensitivity with intellect and form. He wonders which direction his paintings will take after the war. He contemplates exploring ways to enrich his paintings by introducing more beauty and animation through the use of light.
Maurice Esmein left about 40 paintngs, watercolours, and engravings, depicting portraits and landscapes in the realm of cubist artists of the period.
Carnets (1913-1918) includes a preface and appendices by his nephew Jean Esmein, aged in his 80s, brilliantly and poignantly presenting the life and work of his uncle, with assistance from Camille Esmein-Sarrazin and Bernard Esmein. Olivier Esmein supplied the photographs. The introduction and photographs superbly complement the well-written, interesting, fascinating, and extremely important notes of Maurice Esmein – adding art historian to his list of credentials.
MARTINA NICOLLS
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MARTINA NICOLLS is an international human rights-based consultant in education, healing and wellbeing, peace and stabilization, foreign aid audits and evaluations, and the author of: The Paris Residences of James Joyce (2020), Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).
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