François Antoine Maxime Lalanne (November 27, 1827 – July 29, 1886) was a French artist known for his etchings and charcoal drawings (fusain).
Early life Maxime Lalanne was born in Bordeaux on November 27, 1827, to Anne (previously Anne Cecile Gellibert) and Antoine Lalanne.Extrait du registre des actes de naissance de l’an 1827, quoted in Marionneau, Charles, Lalanne, peintre, dessinateur, graveur-aquafortiste 1827–1886 (Bordeau: Gounouilhou 1886) (extrait de la Gironde littéraire et scientifique du 29 août 1886) (hereinafter "Marionneau"), p. 4, n.1. His father was a civil servant who rose to the position of clerk of the first chamber of the Court of Appeals.Lalanne's father became greffier de Justice de Paix du cinquième arrondissement in 1829, and greffier de la première chambre de la cour d’appel in 1832. Marionneau, p. 4; Guérin, Anne, Redécouverte d’un artiste Bordelais: Maxime Lalanne, Société Archéologique de Bordeaux, tome LXXVI, 1985 (hereinafter "Guérin"), p. 129.
Maxime Lalanne first pursued classical and traditional studies at the l'institution Oré,Marionneau, p. 4; Guérin, p. 129. where he learned drawing from Saulnier.Marionneau, p. 4 He received his Bachelor of Letters degree in 1848.Marionneau, p. 5; Walker, Robert, "Maxime Lalanne, a Short Study of His Life and Work", Good Words for 1884, ed. Donald McLeod (London: Isbister and Co. 1884) (hereinafter "Walker"), p. 90. Although his artistic talent was noted by his comrades and teachers, Lalanne pursued a career in law rather than in art.
Entry into artistic career Lalanne drew in his spare time, perhaps under Fozembas,Guérin states that Lalanne was attracted by drawing and frequented the atelier of Fozembas. Guérin, p. 129. According to Marionneau, the Bordeaux artist Léo Drouyn advised him that he had seen Lalanne in the studio of Fozembas amidst a group of "neophytes" and was struck by his "extrème facilité." Marionneau, p. 6. while clerking as a notary. In 1850, he exhibited six drawings (pencils and pastels) at the eighth Exposition of the Philomathique Society in the Palais de Justice.Catalogued as item 258. Marionneau, p. 5, quoting the exhibition catalogue: "six cadres dessins à la mine de plomb et pastels." The prodigious Léo Drouyn noticed his work and urged him to persevere.Guérin, p. 129. Delteil reports that Drouyn "lavished" encouragement upon Lalanne. Delteil, Loys, "Maxime Lalanne", The Print Connoisseur, vol. III, no. 4 (New York: Truesdale 1923), p. 391. Drouyn reportedly told Marionneau that Lalanne was not his student, but that he encouraged Lalanne and gave him advice. Marionneau, p. 6. Reporting on these works, the newspaper La Tribune described him as "richly gifted" and his drawing as "first rate".La Tribune (Bordeaux), 24 août 1850; Marionneau, p. 5; Guérin, p. 129. Lalanne was awarded a bronze medal for his work.Marionneau, p. 6.
Shortly thereafter, Lalanne vacationed in Cénon and returned to Bordeaux with dozens of charcoal drawings of the countryside which, Marionneau reported, were remarkable.Marionneau, p.6-7. His friends encouraged him to abandon his law studies and to pursue his art exclusively.
Move to Paris In 1852, Lalanne followed their advice and left Bordeaux for Paris and the studio of Jean François Gigoux (with whom Lalanne remained close throughout his life).Walker, p. 90; Bailly-Herzberg, Janine, Dictionnaire de l’estampe en France, 1830–1950 (Paris: Flammarion 1985), p. 175. Lalanne's ties to Bordeaux remained strong: he exhibited 640 works there in a retrospective in 1874 and donated proofs of all his etchings to the city in 1875 and 1882.Guérin, p. 132. Lalanne's donation concluded with Lalanne 140 (Villet 143), "Trouville, Paysage et Villers" (1881/2). Marionneau apparently was not aware of the 1882 donation, stating (at p. 19) that Bordeaux's only etchings by Lalanne were those "don de l’auteur en 1875!" 10 additional prints numbered Lalanne 141 - 150 appear in the Bordeaux collection, donated at a later time. Whether these prints were numbered by Lalanne, or simply followed his numbering, has not been established. But regardless of those ties, Lalanne became and remained a Paris artist"Maxime Lalanne est un artiste parisien." Guérin, p. 129. "[H]e became a typically polished and witty Parisian." Taormina, John, Maxime Lalanne: Drawings and Prints from the John Taylor Arms Collection of the College of Wooster (John Carroll University: Wooster 1979) (hereinafter "Taormina"), introduction. See also Leipnik, F. L., A History of French Etching from the 16th Century to the Present Day (London: John Lane The Bodley Head 1924), p. 115. who lived, worked and taught chiefly in Paris until retiring to Nogent-sur-Marne in 1885.
Lalanne made his appearance at the Salon in Paris in 1852 with two charcoal drawings,Numbers 752 and 753 of the exhibition catalogue ("compositions d’après nature; dessins au fusain"). Marionneau, p. 10. Delteil was not certain about whether Lalanne had submitted only charcoals, or also pen and pencil drawings. Delteil, p. 391. which he continued to submit throughout his career.See Salon entries for 1855, 1857, 1861, 1866-70, 1872-74, 1876-86. Sanchez, Pierre and Xavier Seydoux, Les Catalogues des Salons (Paris: Echelle de Jacob 1999–2009). Charcoal had only been recently recognized by the Salon as an independent category, and was very popular for both its novelty and expressiveness.Fusain first appeared in the catalogues of the Salon of 1848. Marionneau, p. 9. Lalanne's reputation in the medium is evidenced by his well-received treatise on the subject, Le Fusain.Maxime Lalanne, Le Fusain, Paris: Berville (5 editions between 1866 and 1875). The importance of drawing to Lalanne is without doubt — at his death the number of Lalanne's drawings in public and private hands exceeded 1200.Marionneau, p. 10.
Prints
Lalanne's print debut was in 1853—in lithography rather than etching.Don Manuel de Oviedo y Gil, published in 1853, printed by Lemercier. Bailly-Herzberg, p. 175; Beraldi, Henri, Les Graveurs du XIXe Siècle (Paris: L. Conquet 1889) (hereinafter "Beraldi"), v. IX, p. 23. Lalanne produced 47 lithographs. Villet, Jeffrey M., The Complete Prints of Maxime Lalanne, catalogue raisonné (Washington DC: art@home fine prints 2010)(hereinafter "Villet"), pp. 400-407. 43 depicted the landscape, architecture and people of the Pyrenees. Many appeared in the portfolio Les plus beaux sites des Pyrénées with lithographs by Eugène de Malbos and Deroy, published in various editions with different prints over time. Many also appeared in Frederick Soutras’ Les Pyrénées Illustrées beginning in 1858, issued by a number of publishers over time. Examples included between 26 and 32 lithographs by Eugène de Malbos, Maxime Lalanne and others – in many different combinations, and sometimes with differing publication lines. Inventaire du fonds français après 1800 (Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale 1932 et seq.), v. 12, p. 271-72 (incomplete); Labarère 1538. After this series, Lalanne virtually abandoned lithography, except for a lithograph on the cover of sheet music with lyrics by his father, Chant Patriotique (date unknown), and two of Bordeaux in 1882. Lalanne began etching for Alfred Cadart in 1862 as one of the founding members of Cadart's 160-member Société des Aquafortistes (formed in September 1862),See the list entitled MEMBRES ACTUELS DE LA SOCIÉTÉ DES AQUA-FORTISTES bound into various Cadart & Luquest catalogues and publications (including Lalanne's 1866 Traité de la gravure). and his work was among the first published and distributed by the Société – Rue des Marmousets (published in November 1862 as plate 15). Lalanne made his etching debut at the Salon in 1863, submitting three street scenes (all of which would appear in Cadart publications).Salon catalogue, nos. 2675–2677. Marionneau, p. 10; Guerin p. 129; Bailly-Herzberg p. 175; Delteil p. 391. Marionneau states that Lalanne entered three etchings of streets under demolition, but he is incorrect, since Lalanne only etched 2 such views (Démolitions pour le percement du Boulevard St. Germain and Démolitions pour le percement de la Rue des Écoles). Rue des Marmousets was the third submission. Bailly-Herzberg p. 175; Delteil p. 391.
Lalanne's etchings struck a chord. He received awards from the Salon for etching in 1866,Delteil, p. 391. Marionneau points out Lalanne's 14-year struggle for recognition from the Salon. Marionneau, p. 11. 1873 (3ème classe), 1874 (3éme classe) and was decorated as Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 1875.Walker, p. 90; Taormina, introduction. Delteil states that Lalanne was decorated in 1873. Delteil, p. 395. He was also knighted as Chevalier of the Order of Christ by King Fernando of PortugalHamerton, Philip G., Etching & Etchers, 3rd ed. (London: MacMillan 1880) (hereinafter "Hamerton Etching & Etchers"), p. 155; Pennell, Joseph, Etchers and Etching, 4th ed. (New York: MacMillan Co. 1936), p. 192; Walker, p. 90; Taormina, introduction; Bradley, William Aspenwall, "Maxime Lalanne," Print-Collector Booklets (Boston: Museum of Fine Arts 1914), p. 3. Walker (p. 90) states that Lalanne was knighted in 1864; Philip Gilbert Hamerton noted this as the first such knighthood in the 1868 edition of Etching and Etchers. (who, perhaps not surprisingly, was one of the 160 members of Cadart's Société des Aquafortistes).
Lalanne arrived on the scene at an opportune moment, for both himself and for the Cadart publishing house. During the 20-year period in which they worked together (from 1862 to 1881), Lalanne produced over 145 etchings,Of Lalanne's entire oeuvre of 204 etchings, Lalanne produced 160 etchings whose dates are known (his last dated etching was from 1884) and 44 whose dates are not known. Villet, pp. 1-399. and the Cadart house issued over 80 of them (often more than once) in numerous Cadart publications.
While the impressionists were rebelling against artistic convention and the Salon, Lalanne remained ever faithful to it, and the Salon accepted and exhibited over 120 etchings by Lalanne from 1863 to 1886.Sanchez, Pierre and Xavier Seydoux, Les Catalogues des Salons (Paris: Échelle de Jacob 1999–2009), vols. 7-14. It was because of this loyalty (and the resulting friendships) that Lalanne continued to be a member of the jury of the Salon, for painting, even (according to Marionneau) after illness prevented his full participation.Marionneau, p. 13.
Illness and death That illness was Lalanne's 10-year struggle with osteomalacia,Marionneau, p. 21 n. 1 a crippling bone disease that causes bone softness and disintegration.
Lalanne continued working until he died, with charcoal in his hand, on 29 July 1886, shortly after completing a drawing for his cousin, the author Leopold Lalanne.Marionneau, p. 22.
He was buried in Nogent-sur-Marne on August 1. His remains were moved on September 25, 1889, to the vault reserved for artists in Bordeaux.Guérin, p. 134. A monument by Pierre Granet was erected in the public garden in Bordeaux on June 26, 1897.Id. Only the pedestal and bust remain (its bronze having been pillaged by the Nazis).
Work