L'œuvre littéraire et plastique d'Eugène Fromentin : Parallèle et complémentarité

Abstract

Eugène Fromentin was an accomplished man of art. A cultured writer, painter, and critic, he dedicated his life to conveying through the use of the pen and the brush his passion for travelling in faraway countries. His literary works include two travel books (Un été dans le Sahara and Une année dans le Sahel), a psychological and autobiographic novel (Dominique), and a critical analysis of the 16th century Flemish school of painting ( Les Maîtres d'autrefois). As a painter, he was best known for his orientalist artwork and the visual translation of his travel experiences in Algeria on canvas. This thesis examines the correspondence between the narrative and the plastic domains of Fromentin within the orientalist artistic context of painters and writers of themid-19th century. This includes the influence of the Romantic and Realist schools on Fromentin's literary work and the placement of his work within the framework of his contemporaries, such as François-René de Chateaubriand and Gustave Flaubert. George Sand also played a significant role in Fromentin's literary life. As a painter, Fromentin's primary influences were the painter Louis-Nicolas Cabat, the Romantic painter Eugène Delacroix, and the Dutch School. Subsequently, Fromentin's literary works and paintings reflect the intersection of these influences and the expression of visual and literary links unique to this master.