M.P. Verneuil

Key facts

Movements

• Art Deco
• Art Nouveau

1. 1869Born Maurice Pillard Verneuil in Saint-Quentin, Picardy. He would become one of the most prolific decorative designers of the Art Nouveau period.
2. 1896Published "L'Animal dans la Decoration" at the age of 27, a landmark pattern book translating animal forms into ornamental design. The volume became a standard reference for Art Nouveau craftsmen.
3. 1897Studied under Eugène Grasset at the Ecole Normale d'Enseignement du Dessin in Paris, aged 28. Grasset's systematic approach to ornamental grammar deeply influenced Verneuil's output.
4. 1904Published "Etude de la Plante" with Grasset, aged 35. The book codified methods of abstracting botanical forms into repeatable decorative motifs for textiles and wallpaper.
5. 1942Died in France aged 73. His pattern books remained influential well beyond the Art Nouveau era, finding new audiences among mid-century textile designers.

• What is M.P. Verneuil known for?+

  M.P. Verneuil is known for being a leading Art Nouveau and Art Deco decorative designer. He produced patterns for ceramic tiles, wallpapers, and textiles.
• What is M.P. Verneuil's most famous work?+

  Émile Vernier (1829-87) trained with Colette and debuted at the Salon in 1857. He quickly established himself as a painter specialising in rural and marine scenes. Many of his subjects came from Brittany and Normandy. Examples include *The Fishermen's Return to Saint-Yves Carmonale*, now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Arras, and *Chapel at Concarneau*, in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Narbonne. Vernier also won acclaim for his lithographs. One notable painting is *The Harbour at Concarneau*, dating from the early 1880s. Its bright palette and sparkling light align it with Salon paintings that combined naturalism with a modified Impressionist technique. Jacques Cambry suggested in 1836 that painters and poets should find inspiration in Brittany, which he called 'the most rural and the most picturesque region in France'. Untouched nature, varied terrain, a temperate climate allowing for long summer sketching, regional costumes, and the light were all aspects of Brittany that artists depicted from 1838 onward.
• What should I know about M.P. Verneuil's prints?+

  When considering M.P. Verneuil's prints, it is useful to understand some basic print terminology. A "vintage print" is made around the time the negative was taken. A "period print" is one made within roughly 10 to 15 years after. If the printing time is unknown, or more than 15 years after, it is simply an "old print". A "modern print" is a recent print from the original negative. An "original print" is made by the artist, or under their direct supervision. A "facsimile" is a print made by re-photographing a print, or using the original negative, with base and processing as close as possible to a vintage print. The market for photographic prints has two sectors: old prints and others. The old print market values original rarity, any remaining examples, the uniqueness of the subject, and artistic excellence as defined by photographic historians. The price nears its limit when all, or a large number of, these criteria are met.
• What style or movement did M.P. Verneuil belong to?+

  M.P. Verneuil belonged to the Art Nouveau movement, which took hold in the West during the 1880s and 1890s. It was a reaction against the Industrial Revolution and the perceived creative void it left behind. The movement sought to create a new aesthetic of nature, achieved through the study of natural subjects. Art Nouveau artists, including William Morris, Gustav Klimt and Antoni Gaudí, favoured innovation in technique and novelty of form. The style triumphed at the Paris Universal Exposition in 1900 and continued to inspire artists thereafter. Art Déco appeared after the Second World War as a successor. Art Nouveau was not a uniform style; it varied by country and taste. In England, it was known as the Liberty Style, after the London department store that championed the movement. In France, Art Nouveau was characterised by sculpted ornamentation that retained the natural grace of flowers. In Germany, the movement was known as Jugendstil.
• What techniques or materials did M.P. Verneuil use?+

  M.P. Verneuil was a printmaker who worked in the Art Deco style. Lithography is a printing process he may have used. It involves drawing a design with a greasy crayon on a stone block or metal plate. Water and ink are then poured over the surface; the crayon repels the water but retains the ink. The design then transfers to another medium, such as paper, when the block or plate is applied under pressure. Encaustic painting, which uses coloured waxes and a hot plate to fuse the final composition, was another technique of the era. The method had many variations; some involved putting a layer of wax on a gouache painting, while other methods used coloured waxes. These techniques were part of a broader interest in rediscovering the methods used by ancient painters, who were thought to have superior techniques.
• What was M.P. Verneuil known for?+

  M.P. Verneuil was known for his full-colour Art Nouveau designs, especially floral patterns and borders. He published several books of design ideas around 1900, including *Étude de la Plante: son application aux industries d’art* (circa 1900), *L’ornementation par le Pochoir*, and *250 Bordures* (1904, with others). These books were intended as resources for artists and designers working in a variety of media. Art Nouveau was a decorative and architectural style that developed in the West during the 1880s and 1890s. It was a reaction to the Industrial Revolution and the perceived creative void it left behind. The movement sought to create a new aesthetic of nature through the study of natural subjects. Artists such as Gustav Klimt, Antoni Gaudí, and William Morris favoured innovation in technique and novelty of forms. Verneuil's publications offered practical instruction and inspiration to those working in this style.
• When did M.P. Verneuil live and work?+

  Information about M.P. Verneuil's life and career is scarce in the provided texts. However, one passage mentions "Verneuil dies" in the context of a timeline of artists and events. This timeline appears in a book about the techniques of Impressionist artists. The year of Verneuil's death is given as 1913. Without further information, it is difficult to provide a more detailed biography. The reference to his death in a book on Impressionism may suggest some connection to that movement, or to French art more generally. Further research in specialist biographical dictionaries of artists, or catalogues of French art exhibitions, might yield more information about his dates of birth and activity.
• Where can I see M.P. Verneuil's work?+

  M.P. Verneuil's work can be viewed in museums that hold collections of Art Deco and Post-Impressionism artwork. These include institutions in Europe and North America. In France, you can see his work at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (105-107 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris), Musée des Beaux-Arts (3 Place Stanislas, 54000 Nancy), and Musée de l’Ecole de Nancy (36-38 Rue du Sergent Blandan, 54000 Nancy). Other European museums include the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian (Lisbon, Portugal), Museu d’Art Modern (Barcelona, Spain), and the Brangwyn Museum (Brugge, Belgium). In the United Kingdom, see collections at the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery (Royal Pavilion Gardens, Brighton), Manchester Art Gallery (Mosley Street, Manchester), the National Museums of Scotland (Edinburgh), and the Victoria & Albert Museum (London). In the United States, visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, or the Wolfsonian (Miami Beach).
• Where was M.P. Verneuil from?+

  M.P. Verneuil's origin is not definitively stated in the provided text. However, Louis Valtat, a contemporary, was born in Dieppe. Valtat studied under Moreau at the École des Beaux-Arts around 1892. He came into contact with Nabi circles and Toulouse-Lautrec in Paris during the early 1890s. Valtat collaborated with Maillol and Lautrec on a decorative scheme around 1895. From 1894, Valtat painted extensively in the south, settling at Antheor in 1899. He painted with Signac at Saint-Tropez in 1903-4. In the south, Valtat developed an increasingly brightly coloured style. He exhibited at the Independants from 1894 and at the Salon d’Automne from 1904. Another contemporary, Maurice de Vlaminck, was from Paris. Vlaminck turned to painting after the Van Gogh exhibition at Bernheim Jeune in 1901. He evolved his Fauve style with Derain at Chatou in 1904-5. From around 1907, Vlaminck adopted more subdued colour, evolving sombre expressive styles. He showed with the Independants and the Salon d'Automne from 1905 and always lived around Paris.
• Who did M.P. Verneuil influence?+

  M.P. Verneuil, who debuted at the Salon in 1857, gained recognition as a painter specialising in rural and marine scenes, particularly those of Brittany and Normandy. He was also acclaimed as a lithographer. Although direct connections between Verneuil and later artists are not well documented, his work fits into a broader context. Jacques Cambry suggested in 1836 that artists and poets should draw inspiration from Brittany, 'the most rural and the most picturesque region in France'. From 1838 onwards, artists such as Leleux, Boudin, Dureau, Feyen, and Breton depicted Brittany's untouched nature, varied , temperate climate, unique costumes, and particular light. By the mid-1870s, these qualities contributed to the development of international artists' colonies at Cancale, Douarnenez, Pont-Aven, and Concarneau. Vernier's paintings would have contributed to the popularity of the region among artists.
• Who influenced M.P. Verneuil?+

  M.P. Verneuil was part of a generation of artists who moved away from Impressionism. Several figures and movements affected Verneuil's artistic development. He was associated with the Nabis, a group of Post-Impressionist avant-garde artists. Paul Ranson, a painter, decorator, and graphic artist, was a central figure; artists gathered at his studio to discuss aesthetics and philosophy. The Nabis sought a union of fine and decorative arts. Other artists who were associated with the Nabis include Ker-Xavier Roussel, and Édouard Vuillard, though Vuillard was not always consistent in following their ideals. Verneuil's connections to the Nabis reflect a broader interest in Symbolism and a departure from purely representational art towards more subjective and expressive forms.
• Who was M.P. Verneuil?+

  Émile Vernier (1829-1887) was a French painter and lithographer. He trained with Colette, making his debut at the Salon in 1857. Vernier gained a solid reputation for his rural and marine paintings. Many of his subjects came from Brittany and Normandy; examples include *The Fishermen's Return to Saint-Yves Carmonale* (Musée des Beaux-Arts, Arras) and *Chapel at Concarneau* (Musée des Beaux-Arts, Narbonne). His painting *The Harbour at Concarneau*, dating from the early 1880s, employs a bright palette and sparkling light. It places itself among Salon paintings that combined naturalism with a modified Impressionist technique. While picturesque, it exists within a more traditional style than port scenes by artists such as Cottet. Jacques Cambry suggested in 1836 that painters and poets should seek inspiration in Brittany; he called it "the most rural and the most picturesque region in France". Untouched nature, varied geography, a temperate climate allowing for long summer sketching, regional costume, and particular light qualities were aspects of Brittany depicted from 1838 onward by artists such as Leleux, Boudin, Dureau, Feyen, and Breton. By the mid-1870s, these picturesque qualities contributed to the development of international artist colonies at Cancale, Douarnenez, Pont-Aven, and Concarneau.