Of course, Sérusier and his attentive audience were by no means unanimous in their interpretation of the arguments of the leader of the Pont-Avon school. While for Sérusier the simplification of colour seemed a tempting gateway into the realm of symbols (and Denis was ready to agree with him), Bonnard and Vuillard, who did not wish to leave the precincts of painting as such, hoped that these devices would help to open up promising decorative resources. Though their own artistic experience was still rather limited, all of them were able to appreciate the beauty of resonant colours, no matter how unorthodox the means used to achieve them.
It so happened that the students of the Académie Julian who displayed the greatest talent in painting felt drawn towards one another and began by gathering round Sérusier. Among the other students, these young artists stood out with their superior cultural level; they were well-read, loved poetry and the theatre. This too helped to establish close ties between them. Soon they started meeting outside classes. Feeling that their association had a special significance, they decided to call themselves les Nabis. This name, a password for the group and a mystery for outsiders, was suggested by one of their friends, Auguste Cazalis, then a student at the School of Oriental Languages.
20. Georges Lacombe, Harvestwomen, 1894–1895.
Egg tempera paint, 65 × 50 cm.
Private collection.
21. Georges Lacombe, The Ages of Life – Spring, 1893–1894.
Egg tempera paint, 151 × 240 cm.
Petit Palais – Musée des beaux-arts de la ville de Paris, Paris.
22. Maurice Denis, Madame Ranson with Cat, c. 1892.
Oil on canvas.
Musée départemental Maurice Denis “Le Prieuré”, Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
The meetings of the Nabis were characterized by lively conversations on a wide range of subjects, more often than not connected with painting or literature. It is true that Sérusier and, to a lesser extent, Denis were inclined to give themselves airs, but the rest preferred a merry atmosphere and enjoyed a good joke. This was quite natural: they were all young. On Saturdays they met in Ranson’s studio, played charades (popular at the time), staged little puppet shows and read poetry. Once a month, and this with time became a ritual, they gathered in a small, modest restaurant called L’Os à Moelle (The Marrowbone). Each member of the group had a nickname: Sérusier, for example, was called “Nabi à la barbe rutilante” (Nabi with the sparkling beard), Denis bore the name “Nabi aux belles icônes” (Nabi of the beautiful icons), Bonnard’s nickname was “Nabi japonard” (the Japanese Nabi), Vuillard’s was “Zouave”, Verkade’s “Nabi obéliscal” (the “obeliscal” Nabi), and Vallotton, who joined the group in 1892, became “Nabi étranger” (the foreign Nabi).
From time to time the Nabis gathered in the editorial offices of the recently-founded magazines Mercure de France and Revue Blanche or in Le Barc de Boutteville’s gallery, where at that time they usually exhibited their works. But their main meeting place remained Ranson’s studio on the boulevard Montparnasse, which they styled “the Temple”. The walls of the Temple were adorned with decorative pieces by Denis, Vuillard, Bonnard and Roussel. They were executed on paper and, unfortunately, have not survived. In 1891 Bonnard, Vuillard, Denis and Lugné-Poë rented a workshop in the rue Pigalle, which was frequented by other members of the Nabis circle. With the coming of spring, they spent Sundays at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in Denis’s house, or at l’Etang-la-Ville, with Roussel’s family.
23. Aristide Maillol, Spring, 1896.
Wood.
Dina Vierny Collection, Paris.
Unlike the rest of the Nabis, Ranson and these two artists had married and settled down to a more or less steady home life. Even in summer the Nabis remained faithful to their fellowship: Sérusier, Verkade and Ballin, for instance, visited Brittany together. In 1895 Thadée Natanson, the publisher of the Revue Blanche, and his charming wife Misia, whom both Renoir and Bonnard painted many times, entertained Vuillard and Vallotton at their home in Valvin. The following year the couple moved to Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, where over the course of several years Bonnard, Vuillard, Roussel and also Toulouse-Lautrec were invited to their home. Members of the Nabis group often entertained Maillol, whom they held in great esteem. Three or four times they were visited by Gauguin. The Temple was frequented by the composers Chausson, Hermand and Claude Terrasse (Bonnard’s brother-in-law). Denis introduced to the Nabis his fellow-student from the Lycée Condorcet, Lugné-Poë, who was soon to gain prominence on the French stage both as an actor and producer. Lugné-Poë had introduced the Parisian public to Ibsen, Strindberg and other outstanding dramatists of the time. Through him the Nabis entered the theatrical world. They designed stage sets and theatrical programmes for Lugné-Poë’s productions. They even appeared on the stage as extras, taking part, for example, in the much talked about Ubu Roi by Jarry. Members of the Nabi group were personally acquainted and often friendly with many contemporary French authors – Alfred Jarry, Francis Jammes, Jules Renard, Tristan Bernard, Édouard Dujardin and André Gide – so it is hardly surprising that they illustrated their books. While at the Lycée, Maurice Denis became acquainted with Marcel Proust. He was also on close terms with André Gide in whose company he travelled all over Italy. Mallarmé taught English at the Lycée Condorcet. The Nabis greatly admired his poetry and some of them kept in touch with him after leaving the Lycée.
24. Félix Vallotton, Woman Relaxing, 1899.
Oil on canvas.
Musée national d’art moderne – Centre Georges-Pompidou, Paris.
25. Pierre Bonnard, The Dressing Gown, c. 1890.
Cloth, 150 × 50 cm.
Musée d’Orsay, Paris.
More than half of the Nabis attended the Lycée Condorcet, undoubtedly one of the finest in Paris and perhaps the best as far as its humanities programme was concerned. It played an important role in fostering a taste for literature in its students. Curiously enough, not one of the Nabis had ever won a prize for art at the Lycée, while Vuillard and Roussel gained the first and second prizes for history. A shared interest in literature, history and aesthetics helped to form firm ties between people of very different convictions. The friendship which sprung up in their Lycée years proved stronger than the artistic and religious differences which arose later.
Their fellowship expressed itself at times through naive and even childish features, for example, the ritual formula, modelled on those of ancient fraternities, with which they finished their letters: “En ta paume, mon verbe et ma pensée” (My words and thoughts are in your palm). On occasion these words were reduced to an abbreviation: “E.T.P.M.V.E.M.P.” Whatever the reason, it is a fact that for many years their friendship was never dimmed by resentment, envy or estrangement.
In works on the history of art the Nabis are at times equated with other groups and movements which existed for a short period and then dissolved. This conception is fraught with inconsistencies. Can the Nabis circle be regarded as a distinct movement? Yes and no. Some common features may be traced in their work, but the kinship between them is at two removes, if not more. It is not by chance that at some recent exhibitions painters of this group have been ascribed to different movements. For example, works by Denis, Sérusier and even Vallotton were included in the widely representative exhibition of European Symbolism held in 1975–76 in Rotterdam, Brussels, Baden-Baden and Paris,