Ker-Xavier Roussel (born December 10, 1867 – died June 5, 1944) was an innovative painter of the first half of the 20th century who lived in France and was part of the Nabis group. The paintings of Ker-Xavier Roussel develop the ideas of symbolism – these are mainly allegories and mythological scenes, in which the landscape plays an important role. The work of this author is diverse: from miniature sketches of everyday or antique scenes to multi-meter decorative panels. The artist’s biography includes large-scale international exhibitions and the Carnegie Prize for Art.

Biography of Ker-Xavier Roussel

Ker-Xavier Roussel was born on December 10, 1867 in a town on the eastern border of France in the family of a wealthy doctor. His mother was fond of painting and could give children drawing lessons. In 1871, the family had to move to the capital, fleeing the Franco-Prussian war.

At the age of 15, Ker-Xavier went to receive a classical education at the prestigious Lyceum Condorcet. There he met two other future artists and fellow Nabis: Edouard Vuillard and Maurice Denis.

Ker-Xavier Roussel received his father’s approval for serious painting classes and at the age of 21 he entered the School of Fine Arts. His friends and another outstanding artist Pierre Bonnard also studied there.

Young talents quickly got tired of boring academism, joined the innovative Nabis association and began to exhibit jointly. At the same time, Roussel’s graphic works were published in the Nathanson brothers’ magazine La Revue blanche.

Material success allowed the artist to propose to the sister of Edouard Vuillard Marie (Marie Vuillard).

In 1899, the family moved from the center of Paris to the town of L’Etang-la-Ville, located near Versailles. A noticeable influence on the work of Roussel had a trip to Italy and along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea undertaken in the same period. He began to turn to the topic of antiquity more often, and the rural landscapes of France alternated with the Mediterranean ones.

When the Ranson Academy opened, Roussel began teaching at it. In the early 1910s, he was engaged in the design of the Théâtre des Champs Elysees, in particular, he designed and painted the curtain. The events of the First World War caused a nervous breakdown in the painter. He spent some time in a Swiss clinic, and after recovering, he painted frescoes for an art museum in Switzerland.

The author participated in the decoration of the National Theater of Chaillot in Paris, painted the Geneva Palace of the League of Nations, received many private orders from the owners of the villas.

His work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale and the World’s Fair in New York. Ker-Xavier Roussel died on June 6, 1944 at the age of 76. Although he was famous during his lifetime, after the artist’s death it was forgotten for some time. The well-deserved popularity returns to him after several major exhibitions held in the late XX and early XXI centuries.

The most famous paintings by Ker-Xavier

Roussel’s paintings by Coeur-Xavier Roussel were usually created under the impression of the landscapes in the vicinity of L’Etang-la-Ville and on the French Mediterranean coast. But the artist writes them not in their pure form, but as a background for mythological or allegorical scenes. His wife, children and grandchildren often became his models.

Here are some of the famous works of the author:

1. “Conversation” (1891). A typical Nabis painting with a flat perspective and expressive ornaments.
2. Stages of Life (1892). Allegories of the seasons in the form of women of different ages have been popular since ancient times. This work differs from numerous analogues in that the age is clearly written out for only one woman with gray hair. The rest of the figures are difficult to relate to some season.
3. “Women and Children in the Village” (circa 1893). This pastel has a second name: a quotation from the Bible “Let little children come to me.” Probably, the author planned to translate this small work into oil painting – it can be seen that it is drawn into squares.
4. “Mythological Plot” (1903). Mysterious painting from the Hermitage. It looks like an illustration of an ancient myth, but it is not clear what kind of story the author has in mind.