01 Painting, Streets of Paris, by Victor Guerrier, Part 78

Victor Guerrier, 1893 Lyon - 1968

NOCTURNAL STREET SCENE IN PARIS OUTSIDE THE MOULIN ROUGE

Oil on canvas

100 x 73 cm.

Private collection

Moulin Rouge is a cabaret in Paris, France.

The original house, which burned down in 1915, was co-founded in 1889 by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Olympia. Close to Montmartre in the Paris district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, it is marked by the red windmill on its roof. The closest métro station is Blanche.

Moulin Rouge is best known as the birthplace of the modern form of the can-can dance. Originally introduced as a seductive dance by the courtesans who operated from the site, the can-can dance revue evolved into a form of entertainment of its own and led to the introduction of cabarets across Europe. Today, the Moulin Rouge is a tourist attraction, offering musical dance entertainment for visitors from around the world. The club's decor still contains much of the romance of fin de siècle France. More on Moulin Rouge

Victor Guerrier, (French, 1893-1968)  was born and trained in Lyon living much of his life at Saint Cyr au Mont d’Or. He began his career as an illustrator but made his name painting Belle Epoque subjects and Parisian life between the wars. 

Clearly inspired by the work of Impressionist masters such Manet and Toulouse-Lautrec his work captures and celebrates the diversity of life in Paris at the turn of the century; from the nightclubs of Montmartre to the cafés of the Champ-Elysses, Guerrier depicts French high society in its pomp. There is often a subtle narrative to the work, where a stolen glance speaks volumes. Further evidence of Manet’s work is evident in his figures, who often stare directly at the viewer, creating images that are, at once, engaging and arresting, while the fashions of the age are beautifully rendered with a vivid palette and deftly applied impasto. 

Guerrier also worked in the Alps and Algeria producing a number of Orientalist subjects along with a series of paintings in St Paul de Vence. He exhibited at the Salon de Printemps. More on Victor Guerrier

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01 Painting, Streets of Paris, by the artists of their time, Victor Gabriel Gilbert, Part 77

Victor Gabriel Gilbert, 1847 Paris - 1935 ibid 

STREET SCENE WITH WEEKLY MARKET FROM OLD PARIS

Oil on wood

42 x 55 cm

Private collection

On a paved road, playing on the two dogs, a coachman with light straw hat and blue jacket tries to carry out his horse to horse-drawn carriage. He will be watched by numerous passers-by who are facing retail shops. In the background, the view is released to other buildings in the city and other figures. Left a large retail store with display, offered on the various fruits and vegetables in bright colors for sale. The saleswoman seen from behind in a white apron is talking to a young woman carrying a little girl in pink garment that gets an apple handed. Evocative playing a street view with the bright fruit such as red strawberries, cherries, plums blue, orange-red glowing apples and yellow lemons and tomatoes,color against the brown-beige and gray tones else in captured image is highlighted. More on this painting

Victor Gabriel Gilbert born in Paris the 13 February 1847 and died in the 21 July 1933. He was a French painter. He is buried in Montmartre cemetery in Paris. In 1860 he apprenticed to a painter and decorator. He followed with evening art classes under the direction of Father Levasseur, the School of the City of Paris. In the late 1870s, his taste for naturalism is developed and he turned to genre painting with scenes of streets, cafes, markets, especially that of Halles . He obtained a second class medal at the Salon of 1880 and a silver medal at the 1889 World Fair . It becomes a member of the French Society of Artists in 1914.

Victor Gilbert was appointed Knight of the Legion of Honour in 1897, and received the Prix Léon Bonnat in 1926. More on Victor Gabriel Gilbert

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

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Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

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10 works, Japan’s Tiny Netsuke Carvings, with footnotes

Kaigyokusai Masatsugu

Reclining goat by (late 1800s)

Ivory with eyes inlaid in coral and dark horn pupils

Osaka, Japan British Museum,

Kaigyokusai Masatsugu was born in 1813, the fitst son of Shimizu Kichibei of Sugishitadori, Osaka. In 1829, he was adopted by Yasunaga Kichirobei. After the death of his adoptive father, he succeeded to the name of Yasunaga. Yasunaga had no teachers in the study of carving techniques. His sketches were made from life. Carved wood and ivory. He used the name of Masatsugu until approximately his 20th year, Kaigyokudo until approximately his 20th year, Kaigyoku until about his 50th year, and Kaigyokusai thereafter. Yasunaga died in 1892 in Osaka at 80.

Masatsugu carved different types of animal, especially those represented in the zodiac cycle. His famourite material was ivory, of which he used only the finest quality. More on Kaigyokusai Masatsugu

A netsuke  is a miniature sculpture, originating in 17th century Japan. Initially a simply-carved button fastener on the cords of an inro box, netsuke later developed into ornately sculpted objects of craftsmanship.

Sōshin (early 1800s)

Mikoshi Nyūdō and a scarecrow

Wood with eyes inlaid in dark horn

Height: 5.60 centimetres

British Museum

Mikoshi Nyudo is one of the many ghostly monsters of Japan that are generally known as bakemono. This monster is usually portrayed with a bald head and a jutting tongue. Although there are many variations of this ghost story across the different regions of Japan, the plots are roughly similar. Essentially, when a person is walking alone at night, the form of a monk suddenly appears. The ghost grows taller every time the person looks up at it and gazing at it for too long invariably results in death.

There is another netsuke attributed to Soshin, which depicts what occurred following on from this netsuke More on Mikoshi-nyūdō

Sōshin was a Netsuke carver. Although little is known about the him, his netsuke are very individual with distinctive traits such as the dramatic eyebrows carved in exquisite high relief. More on Sōshin

Traditionally, Japanese clothing - first the kosode and its later evolution, the kimono - did not have pockets. Though the sleeves of the kimono could be used to store small items, the men who wore kimono needed a larger and stronger container in which to store personal belongings, such as pipes, tobacco, money and seals, resulting in the development of containers known as sagemono, which were hung by cords from the robes' sashes. 

Natsuki 

Mermaid holding a sacred jewel, c. about 1790

Ivory

 Width: 4 centimetres

British Museum

Natsuki  was a maker of netsuke. Active in Wakayama prefecture in the late 18th century.

These containers may have been pouches or small woven baskets, but the most popular were crafted boxes (inro) held shut by ojime, sliding beads on cords. Whatever the form of the container, the fastener that secured the cord at the top of the sash was a carved, button-like toggle called a netsuke. Netsuke, like inro and ojime, evolved over time from being strictly utilitarian into objects of great artistic merit, and an expression of extraordinary craftsmanship. Netsuke production was most popular during the Edo period (1615-1868). More on Netsuke Carvings

Naitō Kōseki, 1871-1948

Ubume holding Jizō by (early 1900s)

Boxwood

Height: 10.50 centimetres

British Museum

Ubume is the ghost of a woman who has died in childbirth and cannot find peace as she worries about her child. Here she is holding in her arms a stone sculpture of the Bodhisattva Jizo (Sanskrit Ksitigarbha), a patron deity of children. More on Ubume

Naitō Kōseki was a Buddhist sculptor, resident in Kyoto. Not a regular carver of netsuke, but created a few works at the request of Western collectors. His great skill acquired from the study of ancient sculpture fascinated collectors, and his works made for export helped introduce Japanese carving abraod. More on Naitō Kōseki

In the style of Kaigyokusai Masatsugu

Twelve zodiac animals, unsigned, c. around 1880

Ivory with eyes inlaid in different colors of horn

British Museum

Kaigyokusai Masatsugu; see above

Masanao of Kyoto

Sleeping rat, c.  by late 1700s

Ivory

British Museum

Masanao (mid-late 1700s) was a noted Japanese sculptor of netsuke from Kyoto area. He is thus associated with the Kyoto school. His works often depict animals, and he is considered to have been one of the greatest artists working in the netsuke art form. More on Masanao

Attributed to Matsushita Otoman (early 1800s)

Snarling tiger

Ivory with eyes inlaid in horn

3.5cm (1 3/8in) wide, Height: 4.40 centimetres

British Museum

Although this ivory tiger is unsigned, it exemplifies the special characteristics of the artist Otoman, who often did not sign his works. Tigers were a speciality of the carver and are highly prized by collectors. More on this Netsuke

Matsushita Otoman was a Nestuke carver. Active in Hakata in Kyushu. He was born into a family of hairpin and ornament makers. He travelled to Edo (present-day Tokyo) as well as working in Kyoto and Osaka, before taking over the Hakata family business. Hakata was close to the trading port of Nagasaki, and a collection of Otoman's works is known to have been taken to Holland by the German physician and botanist, Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796-1866), who resided in Nagasaki from 1823-1829. More on Matsushita Otoman

Matsuda Sukenaga (mid-1800s)

Boar and snake

Wood with eyes inlaid in dark horn, Hida province

British Museum

In Japan the boar occupies the last position among the twelve animals of the zodiac cycle. In China the pig is traditionally assigned this last position, but as the pig is not a species native to Japan the indigenous boar took its place. The boar rushes headlong into attack, and is therefore regarded as a symbol of courage that is occasionally reckless. The snake is exactly six animals apart from the boar in the twelve-year animal cycle, and the two were therefore considered companions. Wearing a netsuke that featured paired zodiac animals was believed to combine the strengths of the animals and thereby enhance good luck. More on this Netsuke

Matsuda Sukenaga was a carver of netsuke. Came from Takayama, Hida. His family made chopsticks. Studied carving with Yoshida Suketomo, and became proficient. He is regarded as the originator of the ittobori style of carving characteristic of Hida. More on Matsuda Sukenaga

Hōshunsai Masayuki (1870s)

Raccoon dog dressed as a priest, c. 1870s

Stag antler

Width: 4 centimetres

British Museum

The racoon dog or tanuki appears in various Japanese folklores as one of the most mischievous animals. With its ability to shape shift, the tanuki often transforms itself into human form or inanimate objects in order to play tricks on people. Here a tanuki, wearing a priest's robe, dozes while holding a Buddhist wooden gong (J. mokugyo) under its clothing, with the stick clutched to its breast. When we examine the underside, we recognize a crying face, with two cord holes forming a nose and open mouth. More on this Netsuke

Hōshunsai Masayuki was a carver of netsuke. One of the most talented carvers from the Asakusa district of Tokyo. He worked at about the same time as Kokusai and Rensai, and all three favoured the use of stag antler. More on Hōshunsai Masayuki

Kawahara Meishu (late 1900s)

Beetles
Wood and tortoiseshell or horn with eyes inlaid in dark horn

Height: 4.20 centimetres, Width: 3.70 centimetres

British Museum

A large Japanese rhinoceros beetle or kabuto-mushi is fighting with a stag beetle or kuwagata-mushi over part of a branch from a tree. Insect fighting has always been a popular pastime among children. This netsuke is accompanied by an original wooden storage box, inscribed with the title and signature of the artist. More on this Netsuke

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.

Acknowledgement: Allison Meier, Netsuke: 100 Miniature Masterpieces from Japan by Noriko Tsuchiya is out from Overlook Press.