Raymond Espinasse (1897-1985) - Sieste

Raymond ESPINASSE
(1897-1985)

It was at the beginning of the 20th century that Raymond Espinasse discovered Fauvism and Cubism.

He settled in Paris in 1925 and taught at the École des Beaux-Arts. Simultaneously, he collaborated with 11 journals (Revue de Lausanne, Revue de l'Académie Française, etc.). Present at the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des Indépendants since 1938, he undertook numerous trips, including several to Aix-en-Provence to get closer to his master, Paul Cézanne.

From 1945 onwards, the French state purchased a significant number of his works and helped popularize them among the general public. Until the early 1960s, Raymond Espinasse lived in Saint-Tropez, Hyères, Aix, Sète, and Montpellier, where he painted themes close to his heart: the sea, the ports, dance, and the nude...

For a large part of his life, he painted alongside his great friend François Desnoyer and exhibited with Jules Cavaillès, Henri Martin, Achille Laugé, Maurice Utrillo, Paul Signac...

Considered one of the most eminent Toulouse painters of the 20th century, this colorist was known for his numerous nudes and his Toulouse and Mediterranean landscapes.

With Raoul Bergougnan and Marc Saint-Saëns, Raymond Espinasse positions himself as one of the three musketeers of the Toulouse School in the 20th century. If he has not achieved the same posterity as his two colleagues, it is probably partly due to his fiercely independent and taciturn character. Tracing his life path is a challenge, as biographical details are scarce. This son of modest origins – father a carpenter and mother a seamstress – was born in early September 1897 in Toulouse. His family quickly left the banks of the Garonne for the Pyrenees and the Pau region. Fifteen years later, the cherub had become a confident adolescent. We find him in the Pink City, not on the stages of the Capitole Theatre as his father would have wished, but in a printing house. For nearly four years, he learned the basics of lithography there. Simultaneously, he developed a passion for painting. A keen observer of the world around him, he filled many small notebooks. The vigor of his stroke brought him closer to Othon Friesz, one of the pioneers of Fauvism along with Henri Matisse and Georges Braque, before moving towards post-Cézannian Cubism.

After the war, the typographer worker returned to his machines. The Book Union noticed him and sent him to teach at the city’s fine arts school. Drawn to the avant-gardes, he moved to Paris in the mid-1920s. Settling in Montparnasse, he befriended his Toulouse compatriots Arthur Fages and Jules Cavaillès, and he knocked on the door of the Jullian Academy. While creating numerous sketches of Parisian life, he worked for many French and foreign magazines specializing in lithography.

Emblematic sketch professor at the School of Fine Arts

In 1934, he settled permanently in Toulouse, opening a workshop on rue Lafayette. Although discreet and avoiding social scenes, he saw himself more as a craftsman than a poet of the palette, and agreed to exhibit his works at the Chappe gallery in the 18th arrondissement of the capital. Unanimously recognized by his contemporaries for his drawing talents, he was approached after his demobilization in 1941 by the fine arts to create a sketching course. He taught there until the 1970s. Although demanding and sometimes even harsh, Raymond Espinasse maintained a free relationship with his students, encouraging spontaneity and inviting them on Thursdays to his home on rue du Taur for endless, informal discussions about art.

In her studio, numerous boxes, sketches, and female nudes canvases are present. This sharing of sensuality with some of her models is clearly mentioned in a February 1944 letter from a certain Gilda, who was both a student and a lover. 'The Model (...) / When, tired and bored, you finally surrender / To the long stretch in indecent gestures / Your body has reflections and magical lines / That guide my brush in endless curves.' Depending on moods and influences, the image of the woman changes. The back nude aims to be a simple and discreet representation, similar to Bonnard, while the nude in the armchair reflects a more voluptuous aesthetic.

A painter from the South

Painter of intimacy but also outdoor artist, he enjoys working in the climate of his hometown. Among the iconic landscapes, Saint Peter's Square expressed in absolute tranquility, at nap time. A southern reality reflected in portraits of sailors, market stalls, alleys, squares, and quays around Sète and the Thau lagoon. A 'singular island' that lends itself so well to vivid colors and summer feasts.





Mathieu Arnal