Edgar Maxence (1871-1954) remained faithful to the traditions of Symbolism throughout his life. He studied at the Paris School of Fine Arts under professors Robert Delaunay and Gustave Moreau. His contemporaries were such famous graduates of this school as Henri Matisse, Georges Rouault, Albert Marquet, Henri Evenepoel and others.

When Maxence first took part in the Paris Salon and until 1939, he was an active member of the Salon committees and jury. In 1900, he received a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris, and he was awarded another gold medal in 1914.

For his combination of brilliant technique and taste for allegorical medieval scenes, Maxence was invited to decorate the salon of the Rosicrucian Society, which he did from 1895 to 1897. Maxence’s technique combines relatively thick brushstrokes with a certain clarity of line. Like Armand Pointe, he used gold leaf in his paintings. He also used wax, mixing it with oil paints. He installed his paintings in complex frames of his own design.

Maxence achieved success. His portraits and landscapes in the symbolist style were copied and reproduced even after this period in painting.

In 1900, Maxence became a Chevalier, and then, in 1927, an officer of the Legion of Honor.

In 1924, he was elected to the Institut de France. The bright and mysterious compositions of the 1890s gave way to banal landscapes and still lifes at the end of his life. After the artist’s death, a large number of still lifes and landscapes were found hidden in his studio.