In 2024, the fifth edition of the “Normandie Impressionniste” festival commemorates the 150th anniversary of the first Impressionist exhibition of 1874. Launched in 2010, this festival highlights themes related to this significant artistic movement and its era. For this exceptional edition, the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen dedicates its project to the work of the American painter James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903), recognized as one of the precursors of Impressionism.

The exhibition “Whistler and Europe: The Butterfly Effect” explores a major artistic phenomenon of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: Whistlerism. In Europe and the United States, artists increasingly painted nocturnal landscapes and portraits, reflecting the significant influence of Whistler’s plastic research.

Among the exhibited works is the “Portrait of Tante Lucie” by Aristide Maillol, on loan from the Fondation Dina Vierny – Musée Maillol. This large painting, created in homage to his beloved aunt, reflects Maillol’s profound gratitude toward this generous woman who raised him, supported his artistic career financially, and even designated him as her heir. Godmother and substitute mother, she held a central place in the artist’s life. In this intimate painting, Maillol expresses his gratitude with emotion. The portrait shows Tante Lucie sitting, hands resting on her knees, in a meditative posture. Her austere profile stands out against a softly contoured background. While the resemblance to her model is striking, the painting also intensely reveals the psychological dimension of the character.

It is likely that Maillol was inspired by Whistler’s famous portrait of his mother, acquired by the French state for the Luxembourg Museum in 1891. Both compositions share several similarities: Tante Lucie, like Whistler’s mother, is seated on a chair, her slender silhouette dressed in an anthracite gray dress contrasting with a pale background. Her head, with severe features, is encased in a narrow, transparent muslin cap.

However, Maillol reinterprets the original title of Whistler’s work, “Arrangement in Grey and Black,” opting for a brighter and more colorful vision. By reversing the direction of the profile figure, he also highlights the modestly framed landscape in the background of Whistler’s painting. Behind Lucie, he blends yellows with soft greens, evoking the landscapes of Banyuls, the setting of his childhood. His childhood home, “simply pink,” as Maillol noted, was situated atop a lush garden whose main ornament was a large pine tree with twisted branches.

Despite the apparent similarity of the landscapes, “Tante Lucie” does not represent a view from the terrace of the Maison Rose, as one might initially believe. In reality, it is the view from another house, built in 1880 and still visible today, located near the Banyuls station and the Rectorie church. This house still retains its characteristic oval dormers overlooking the terrace that dominates the valley. It is probably here that Maillol’s aunt was painted, and a painting by Rippl-Rónai, who also immortalized this house, provides evidence.

The Hungarian painter Rippl-Rónai, a member of the Nabis group and friend of Maillol, painted it during his stay in Banyuls in 1899 with great precision: the same valley view, the same landscape, the same small house in the distance on the left in Rippl-Rónai’s painting and on the right in Maillol’s. The close geographical, friendly, and artistic connection between the two men led to confusion among specialists about the title of Rippl-Rónai’s painting. For a long time, his painting was titled “Maillol’s House,” although it does not represent the sculptor’s house. This transcription error, systematically repeated, led to lasting confusion.

Returning to the exhibition on Whistlerism and concluding this artistic cycle involving Rippl-Rónai, Maillol, and Whistler with the striking portrait “My Grandmother” by Rippl-Rónai. Although this painting is not presented in the exhibition, the dialogue between the works prompts us to remember this scene as well: Rippl-Rónai’s grandmother, seated in her house in Neuilly, on the edge of a chair, hands resting on her knees, facing the viewer.

On the other hand, Jean-Paul Laurens’ “Portrait of My Mother” is indeed part of the exhibition. Its juxtaposition with Maillol’s “Tante Lucie” highlights the vivid color palette and the striking red that stands out. This marked contrast immediately captures the viewer’s attention, inviting closer observation and thus revealing the common essence of the two compositions.

The proximity of the subjects is accentuated by the identical profile pose of the two women, facing each other as if separated by a mirror, adding a close degree of intimacy between the works. The influence of Whistler’s “The Artist’s Mother” on the works of Rippl-Rónai and Jean-Paul Laurens is undeniable, but it is also crucial to recognize Maillol as a source of inspiration with his painting of Tante Lucie.

Thus, the intersections between these artists testify to Whistler’s profound and lasting influence on their compositions, enriching the artistic landscape of that era and stimulating our imagination today.