Marcel Lenoir
Vierge Marie (modèle pour la cathédrale de Montauban)
c. 1928-1930
Pencil on paper
45 × 34 cm
Unique
Location: Vincennes, France
About the artwork
This preparatory pencil drawing of the Virgin Mary is a study by Marcel Lenoir for one of his major decorative projects: Montauban Cathedral, which he decorated with monumental frescoes between 1927 and 1935. The slightly bowed, contemplative face anticipates the spiritual, sorrowful attitude of the Virgin in a scene of piety or the Annunciation. Lenoir's fragmented, angular, almost sculptural modeling conveys a mystical interiority rather than anatomical realism. The geometrization of volumes, typical of his late style, evokes the influence of Byzantine art and stained glass, lending the figure a sacred solemnity. This drawing is not a simple sketch, but a moment of intense formal concentration in view of total liturgical art.
Expert opinion
This drawing is a rare testimony to Marcel Lenoir's creative process in one of his major projects. It combines formal rigor, spiritual interiority and plastic audacity. A precious work, both intimate and monumental in scope.
About the artist
Born Jules Oury in 1872, Marcel Lenoir is a major French artist, active between Symbolism, Art Nouveau and sacred art. His work, long on the bangs of official trends, is characterized by a profound spiritual quest. After growing up in Paris and enjoying some success in the artistic circles of Montmartre, he retired to the Tarn-et-Garonne region, where he developed a prolific output of frescoes, canvases, drawings and stained-glass windows in a mystical, personal style. His work for Montauban Cathedral is the culmination of his ideal of modern, accessible and monumental sacred art. Marcel Lenoir died in 1931, leaving an unclassifiable body of work that is now being reassessed.
Additional info
Signed
Framed
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