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Nineteenth-century French painter Gustave Moreau's (1826-1898) epic paintings, filled with rich imagery culled from mythology, history, and his own vivid imagination, are well known to today's art viewers. Yet this painter, who is still popular more than a century after his death and was a powerful member of the art world of his day, was in fact obsessively private about his artistic vision. Moreau's solitary pursuit of a painting style that he termed peinture épique ("epic painting") stood in opposition to contemporary trends of academic naturalism and impressionism. The artist carefully researched the elements in each of his paintings, but was motivated too by a quest for "the infinite" in art--that which cannot be put into words, the sublime. His use of brilliant, jewel-like colors, sensitively rendered gestural drawing, and complex compositions helped him both to depict an ideal world and explore the salient issues of his times--morality and the foibles of earthly existence among them.

Between Epic and Dream was published in conjunction with the first full retrospective of Moreau's work, presented during the spring and summer of 1999 at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, after the centennial of his death. Three informative essays investigate the painter's interest in Indian and Persian culture as well as other historical eras such as the Middle Ages and the Italian Renaissance. A fourth essay examines Moreau's relationship to the symbolist movement, upon which his work would have a profound influence. At a substantial 308 pages, this stunning cloth-covered hardback displays over 200 of Moreau's masterpieces and lesser-known works in 162 color plates and 129 duotone images. --A.C. Smith ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A book worth the painter
I have not much more to add on the other reviews regarding the quality of text and reproductions. It is a real non-exhaustive "catalogue raisonné" of the most relevant Moreau's works (his "St. Sebastian" is mesmerizingly and ominously sublime) plus interesting essays.

Moreau is the flagship of French symbolist painting. Although he was a secluded artist he had interesting disciples, like Desvallières, in the circle of the so-called "peintres de l'âme" (painters of the soul). For them, he always was a reference, an idol, like his Semeles, Sphinxs and Salomés. Interestingly Moreau never took part in the Salon de la Rose-Croix (lead by "Sar" Péladan) or any other artistic movement. He was a perfect example of the Balzac's hero-painter in the famous novel "The unknown masterpiece": the never ending painting. Moreau's preciousness, craftmanship, genious, exoticism, decadence, mythological poetry, fin-de-siècle illness, all shape a world of his own, yet fanatically worshipped by his gallerists and collectors and, why not, by his contemporary academic popes.

If decadenticism, 19th century artistic atmosphere and fin de siècle appeal to you, this is your book.

The only thing I miss is more of Moreau's writings and letters. Probably you will find them in the books published by his museum-sanctuary in Paris. Remember his famous and evocative sentence: "I just believe what I cannot see".

Sweet decadence
I had very high hopes when I bought this book, though afraid the text would override the images; however I wasn't disappointed. The sheer quality of the printing is nothing less than remarkable. All the images in this book meet the highest standards of the printer's profession. Books on the symbolist genius Gustave Moreau are extremely hard to come by, so Between Epic and Dream (the book's title) is a rare art book being the only large volume in print at the moment.
The text acompanying the lush pictures is very informative, not only on Moreau's life's work, but there are notes on each item underneath. There is a good balance between text and images and this makes the enjoyment of viewing or reading a particular delight. Moreau's watercolors are beautifully presented and so are the paintings with both large and medium reproductions. There are drawings and studies as well to give this book a usefulness to those who would study Moreau's methods of work.
This book is a great buy at a very reasonable price. You will only need Joris Karl Huysman's novel, Against Nature (describing the painting Salome on the cover), to dream away into sweet decadence.

A must for art freaks!
It's got all the goods: scholarly essays, dossiers on Gustave's most important works, wide historical sweep, accessibility for those who are more casual art-lovers, tons of color plates, good details (for painters like me, looking for something to steal). Moreau was a super-important figure in the decadent years of 19th Century France. Not as well known as, say, Degas or Courbet, his schtick seemed pretty far out. Anticipating Surrealism as well as the the nascent Symbolist movement, Moreau made insanely detailed, obessive, jewel-like paintings whose time is just now arriving. Make your coffee table as swanky and plush as an old New Orleans hotel. Moreau knew how to mix it up but certainly has his own flavor. Super great book. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Magic and Symbols
very useful for y research project: the mystical aspect of Moreau's work is thoroughly explored and clearly explained, which is not an obvious task! ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from New Criterion, published by Foundation for Cultural Review on September 1, 1999. The length of the article is 2519 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Summer in the city's museums.(Critical Essay)
Author: Mario Naves
Publication: New Criterion (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 1999
Publisher: Foundation for Cultural Review
Volume: 18Issue: 1Page: 49

Article Type: Critical Essay

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Comment from the Collector of Moreau
Conguratulations for the excellent work Mr. Mathieu did for this second edition of the catalogue.A lot of color reproductions made us much easier to feel and enjoy the spirit of the works. ... Read more

Book Description

The first comprehensive, scholarly sourcebook/research guide/bibliography on the major French Symbolist painters, this work includes nearly 3,000 entries covering a variety of materials. Each artist receives a primary and secondary bibliography with many annotated entries. Art works, personal names, and subject indexes facilitate easy access. The volume is designed for art historians, art students, museum and gallery curators, and others interested in this major art style of the last half of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century. Art museums and art libraries, in both the United States and abroad were gleaned for sources. This is a unique and substantial research tool. ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Nineteenth-Century French Studies, published by University of Nebraska Press on March 22, 2004. The length of the article is 7495 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The writings of J.-K. Huysmans and Gustave Moreau's painting: affinity or divergence?(1)
Author: Natasha Grigorian
Publication: Nineteenth-Century French Studies (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2004
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Volume: 32Issue: 3-4Page: 282(17)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more