September Morn
Matinée de Septembre is a controversial oil painting on canvas completed in 1911 by the French artist Paul Émile Chabas. Painted over several summers, it depicts a nude girl or young woman standing in the shallow water of a lake, prominently lit by the morning sun. September Morn was first exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1912, and although the identity of its first owner is unclear, it is certain that Leon Mantashev acquired the painting by the end of 1913. It was taken to Russia, and in the aftermath of the October Revolution of 1917 was feared lost. It resurfaced in 1935 in the collection of Calouste Gulbenkian, and after his death in 1955 was sold to a Philadelphia
About September Morn in brief
Matinée de Septembre is a controversial oil painting on canvas completed in 1911 by the French artist Paul Émile Chabas. Painted over several summers, it depicts a nude girl or young woman standing in the shallow water of a lake, prominently lit by the morning sun. She is leaning slightly forward in an ambiguous posture, which has been read variously as a straightforward portrayal of protecting her modesty, or sponge bathing. September Morn was first exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1912, and although the identity of its first owner is unclear, it is certain that Leon Mantashev acquired the painting by the end of 1913. It was taken to Russia, and in the aftermath of the October Revolution of 1917 was feared lost. It resurfaced in 1935 in the collection of Calouste Gulbenkian, and after his death in 1955 was sold to a Philadelphia broker, who donated it anonymously to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1957. As of 2014 it is not on display. From 1913 on, reproductions of the painting caused controversy in the United States. An art dealer in Chicago was charged with indecency and another in New York was targeted by anti-vice crusader Anthony Comstock. Eventually some 7 million reproductions were sold, though Chabas – who had not copyrighted the painting – did not receive any royalties. Later writers, however, have described the painting as kitsch, valuable only as a historic artifact. Although several women claimed to be the model for September MORN, Chab as never revealed her identity.
He described the work as “all I know of painting”, and responded positively to statements that it was his masterpiece. In subsequent years he spent the winters working in Paris, while he passed his summers painting young women along the shores of rivers, lakes, and seas. The lakes and rivers of France were common settings for his paintings, which gave prominence to the interaction of light with the models and their surroundings. The painter’s style has argued with the chaste nudity of his models with his reminiscences of his youth; he identifies the undefinable charm of youth with its undefineable charm, he argues. He won a third class medal in the Salon of 1895, and four years later won the Prix National for his painting Joyeux ébats, which earned him a gold medal at the 1900 Exposition Universelle and was acquired by the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes. The art critic François Thiébault-Sisson described this as evoking the morning, the young subject preparing to bathe while the light grey vapours are still floating over the lake, and the pink-grays of the hills behind her. In 1902 he was made a Chevalier in the Legion of Honour. Although his earlier works were generally portraits, his later production consisted of nude girls and young women. The art historian J. J. Dijkstra attributes the style to the time at the family home along the Erdrere.
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This page is based on the article September Morn published in Wikipedia (as of Oct. 31, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
