The Nabis, prophets of a new art in La Pedrera

BarcelonaThe term nabi The name comes from Hebrew and means "prophet." The group of French artists who gathered under this name in Paris between 1888 and 1900, including Paul Sérusier, Pierre Bonnard, Édouard Vuillard, Maurice Denis, and Félix Vallotton, are considered a bridge between Impressionism and the avant-garde. This is evident in the major exhibition dedicated to them by the Catalunya la Pedrera Foundation, running from this Friday until June 28. "The Cranberries are not very well known, but they have been rediscovered in recent years, and their paintings have become very important to today's public," says the exhibition's curator, Isabelle Cahn, honorary general curator of painting at the Musée d'Orsay. "We feel very close to them because their works focus on very specific themes, such as inner and social life, which remain very interesting today. The Blueberries are not an archaeological movement; we can see them as living people, and their works are made for people, not just for people of a specific era, and they express universal values," they explain.

The exhibition is titled The nabis: from Bonnard to VuillardThis is the first exhibition dedicated to this group in Barcelona and one of the first organized thematically. It includes some 200 works, among them paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, tapestries, and household objects, from more than 50 museums and private collections, primarily French. The Musée d'Orsay stands out as an exceptional collaborator, having loaned seven works, including a landscape by Paul Sérusier. The talismanThe blueberry manifesto painting, which was the result of contact with Paul Gauguin in the town of Pont-Aven in the summer of 1888. When Sérusier returned to Paris, he showed it to his colleagues at the Académie Julian, which was an alternative to the rigidity of the École des Beaux-Arts, and the painting became popular. "Gauguin showed him that he could simplify his painting. The talisman "It's not an Impressionist painting; it's something completely different, very modern, with only flat colors, no perspective. It's an image of reality constructed within the mind," says Cahn. It's also related to the Symbolist movement. "That's why the blueberries feel so close to us, because time passes, but the way they suggested reality, instead of describing it, remains relevant," the curator affirms.

Art for everyone

Isabelle Cahn describes the Nabis as a "rhizomatic" group. She unfolds their legacy across nine areas that reflect how these artists sought to influence all aspects of life. "The Nabis wanted to cross the boundaries between painting, fine art, and applied arts. They wanted to explore different techniques. With printmaking, the idea was to make art accessible to everyone," says Cahn. Thus, the journey begins with The blueberry circle and An aesthetic revolution, where the influence of the flat colors of Japanese prints is evident. Later on, Parisian life It reflects these artists' interest in the noise of modern life on the streets of Paris, which was consolidating itself as a great modern capital with the great public works promoted by Baron Haussmann. Theatre, music, shows It showcases the work they did for the symbolist and experimental theater of the time, creating sets, posters, costume designs, and programs. In fact, one of their major milestones was the premiere ofUbu roiby Alfred Jarry. They also worked on works by Maurice Maeterlinck and on recitals dedicated to Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud and Stéphane Mallarmé.

Within the Blueberry Club, there were two currents: one more spiritual and the other more worldly. Often, the meetings could have an occult character, but at the same time, they satirized it. In La Pedrera, in the area Symbolism. Between esotericism, dreams, and mysticismOne can see how Maurice Denis, who was very Catholic, depicted his vows as if she were the princess from the legend of Saint George, with a forest in the background and nature connected to the esoteric. But, at the other extreme, they could also represent the woman as a witch: for example, in the watercolor by Paul-Élie Ranson. The witch in her circle.

An intellectual view of the environment

While the Impressionists sought to capture fleeting atmospheres and changing light, the Nabis created more poetic representations of the city and nature, as can be seen in Landscapes and gardensAnd they wanted to achieve total art. The section Modern decor It shows that these artists wanted to put art at the center and make it accessible to everyone. But they didn't succeed, and often they were only able to get by thanks to private collectors, who frequently commissioned wallpapers, furniture, screens, and household items.

"The connection between blueberries and decoration is very important and, at the same time, very little known. It's very difficult to obtain prototypes for exhibitions because they are in private collections," says the curator. Among the most exceptional objects is a dinner service that the tennis player, writer, and critic Jean Schopfer commissioned from Édouard Vuillard for his wedding. With an approach very similar to a painting, Vuillard painted female figures with low-temperature enamel, with an effect very different from what a porcelain decorator would have achieved.

Women are once again the protagonists in A representation of everyday life. But this time, women can be seen fulfilling traditional roles. This domestic theater has an emblematic artist in Édouard Vuillard, who lived his entire life with his mother, a dressmaker; he portrayed that working environment. Furthermore, among the women depicted is Misia Nathanson, who later, in 1920, married the painter Josep Maria Sert. She can be seen in a painting by Félix Vallotton writing at her desk at the time she was contributing to the magazine.La Revue Blanche, which was run by her first husband, Thadée Natanson. "She was in contact with many artists and was a very influential woman," says Cahn.

The last area, MediterraneanIt is dedicated to the eponymous sculpture by Aristides Maillol, who was considered the Nabi sculptor. "Since Maillol was very poor, when he went to Paris to study at the École des Beaux-Arts he couldn't afford models, and he took them from Gauguin's paintings. Later, Count Kessler, who was his patron, commissioned a sculpture from him, and Maillol created this figure of a young, rich, beautiful, and wealthy woman, a commissioner. This sculpture was a success at the 1905 Salon d'Automne in Paris and opened doors for him internationally: he exhibited in cities such as Berlin, New York, and Chicago."