‘He who will manage to have us forget colour and form at the price of emotion will achieve the highest goal of all.’
—Xavier Mellery (1841-1925)
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I’ve been spending the last several days putting a new roof on part of my home, so haven’t been as productive in the studio as I would like. But I have been looking at imagery when I can, much of it some of the symbolist painters who have shown up here in the past few weeks. One painter whose work always makes me stop and spend a few moments looking is the Belgian painter Xavier Mellery, another artist whose name is not well known to the general public. In fact, there is not a lot of info to be found.
Mellery did some typical representative work in his career that was quite nice. Some of his interior scenes are beautifully done and are very filled with a contemplative ponderance. For instance, After Evening Prayers, shown below, has a wondrful sense of quiet atmosphere, most fitting for the subject. But the work that really stands out for me are his allegories set against solid, often golden, backgrounds. Many incorporate text that speak to large concepts such as death and immortality, such as the piece shown here, Immortality. They are beautiful in design and execution and, as I say, always stop me in my tracks as I thumb through the few books that contain their images. I am glad to have come across them and feel inspirations in them that I hope wwill someday show through in my own work.
Redtree Times 