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Art nouveau by Élisabeth Sonrel, 1900
Elisabeth Sonrel (1874
Tours – 1953
Sceaux) was a French painter and illustrator in the
Art Nouveau style. Her works included allegorical subjects, mysticism and symbolism, portraits and landscapes.
She was the daughter of Nicolas Stéphane Sonrel, a painter from Tours, and received her early training from him. For further study she went on to Paris as a student of
Jules Lefebvre at the
Ecole des Beaux-Arts.
In 1892 she painted her diploma work, 'Pax et Labor', a work to be seen at the
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tours. From then on she exhibited at the
Salon des Artistes Françaisbetween 1893 and 1941, her signature pieces being large watercolors in a
Pre-Raphaelite manner, which she adopted after a trip to
Florence and
Rome, discovering the
Renaissance painters - some of her work having clear overtones of
Botticelli. Her paintings were often inspired by Arthurian romance,
Dante Alighieri's '
Divine Comedy' and 'La Vita Nuova', biblical themes, and medieval legends. Her mystical works include 'Ames errantes' (Salon of 1894) and 'Les Esprits de l’abime' (Salon of 1899) and 'Jeune femme a la tapisserie'.
[1][2]
At the
Exposition Universell f 3000 francs by L'académie des Beaux-Arts.
[3] From 1900 onwards she confined her painting to portraits, scenic
Brittany landscapes, and the occasional flower study. She made regular painting trips to Brittany, inspired by the forest of
Brocéliande, and from 1910 to various places on the coast such as
Concarneau,
Plougastel,
Pont-l'Abbé and
Loctudy, often staying at inns and accompanied by one or two students. She painted several works in
Le Faouët before constructing a villa in
La Baule in the 1930s. Working mainly in watercolour and gouache, she discovered a ready supply of models among young girls in the area, and found Bretons generally to be friendly, honest and self-confident.
[4]
Her final exhibit at the Salon was in 1941 at the age of 67. There is also a record of her having exhibited at
Liverpool. In her early years Sonrel produced posters, postcards and illustrations, in Art Nouveau style.
![](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F4%2F4c%2FSonrel_Our_Lady_of_the_Cow_Parsley.jpg%2F95px-Sonrel_Our_Lady_of_the_Cow_Parsley.jpg&hash=49dc94b24094f501ea79f49aeee6524f)
Portrait de jeune femme aux fleurs (Our Lady of the Cow Parsley)
![](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F8%2F8b%2FSonrel_Jeune_femme_aux_hortensians.jpg%2F120px-Sonrel_Jeune_femme_aux_hortensians.jpg&hash=4129cda78b2d5564cde49ea1f7776824)
Jeune femme aux hortensias (Young woman with Hortenses)
e of 1900, the primary theme of which was Art Nouveau, her 1895 painting 'Le Sommeil de la Vierge' (Sleep of the Virgin), was awarded a bronze medal, and the
Henri Lehmann prize of 3000 francs by L'académie des Beaux-Arts.
[3] From 1900 onwards she confined her painting to portraits, scenic
Brittany landscapes, and the occasional flower study. She made regular painting trips to Brittany, inspired by the forest of
Brocéliande, and from 1910 to various places on the coast such as
Concarneau,
Plougastel,
Pont-l'Abbé and
Loctudy, often staying at inns and accompanied by one or two students. She painted several works in
Le Faouët before constructing a villa in
La Baule in the 1930s. Working mainly in watercolour and gouache, she discovered a ready supply of models among young girls in the area, and found Bretons generally to be friendly, honest and self-confident.
[4]
Her final exhibit at the Salon was in 1941 at the age of 67. There is also a record of her having exhibited at
Liverpool. In her early years Sonrel produced posters, postcards and illustrations, in Art Nouveau style.
![](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F4%2F4c%2FSonrel_Our_Lady_of_the_Cow_Parsley.jpg%2F95px-Sonrel_Our_Lady_of_the_Cow_Parsley.jpg&hash=49dc94b24094f501ea79f49aeee6524f)
Portrait de jeune femme aux fleurs (Our Lady of the Cow Parsley)
![](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F8%2F8b%2FSonrel_Jeune_femme_aux_hortensians.jpg%2F120px-Sonrel_Jeune_femme_aux_hortensians.jpg&hash=4129cda78b2d5564cde49ea1f7776824)
Jeune femme aux hortensias (Young woman with Hortenses)