Return to flip book view

A Canadian Artist in Brittany By Louise Gauthier As a docent at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and a collector of Quimper faïences, in my tours of the Canadian Pavilion I always like to present La fileuse (The spinner), the artwork of Paul Peel. Why? Because I can mention the two faïences in the painting. During a tour, I dialogue with the visitors and together we observe, analyze, and interpret what we see. However, without a visit to the museum this would prove difficult, so La fileuse will be examined here with an emphasis on the Breton elements depicted by Peel. We begin with Peel's travels to France and specifically, Pont-Aven.

Pont-Aven, City of Artists Have you been to Quimper in the Finistère? Then you probably also know Pont-Aven, from the old Breton aven which means river, located about 36 km from Quimper. This now touristy town was once the poorest in France, but everything changed with the arrival of the railway in the middle of the 19th century. (Above) Photo Pont-Aven (Right) Orleans-Pont-Aven Railway (Finistère) -The river at high tide (Poster 1914), "Collection Musée départemental breton, Quimper." © Musée départemental breton.

Tourists found the language, clothing traditions, landscapes, and its welcoming inhabitants very appealing so they left the large cities and came to Pont-Aven to escape the noise and the beginnings of industrialization. Located on the south coast of Brittany, this town offers many scenic amenities, among them its chaos of rocks, its romantic wooded grove Bois d'Amour, a temperate climate, the charming Aven river, and picturesque windmills. These are the origin of the saying "Pont-Aven, renowned town, 14 mills, 15 houses". Among these tourists were artists who arrived in large numbers, attracted by the fact that motifs and subjects for painting were abundant and the cost of living was inexpensive. (Right) J-M,Villard (1828-1899), Young girls from Pont-Aven in full holiday dress, "Collection Musée départemental breton, Quimper." © Musée départemental breton. (Left) Pont-Aven

Artists in Pont-Aven The writings on Brittany by Chateaubriand and Gustave Flaubert described Pont-Aven as a distant, inviolate land and as a refuge for thoughts and dreams. American painters discovered Pont-Aven first. Boston painter Henri Bacon (1839-1912) traveled to Brittany and spoke enthusiastically about it to Robert Wylie (1839-1877) of Philadelphia who had come to Paris to study sculpture. Wylie, captivated by the beauty of the landscape, settled in 1864 at Pont-Aven and attracted other American painters. He lived there for several years and died there at the age of 38. Robert Wylie, The Postman,1869, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Over the years, the town received a parade of American artists such as Mary Cassatt, Thomas Eakins, Frederick Arthur Bridgman, Aloysius C. O’Kelly, etc. French, Scandinavian, English and Canadians artists followed them. This entire colony of artists lodged in the two hotels, the hostel, and the homestay. Then Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) arrived in 1886 and moved to the famous Pension Gloanec, renowned for its good cuisine and its bohemian atmosphere.

Although having different pictorial expressions, from academism to post-impressionism, the artists were known as the École de Pont-Aven. (Right) Pension Gloanec (Below) Paul Gauguin, Vision of the Sermon (Jacob Wrestling with the Angel), 1888 National Galleries Scotland (Edinburg).

A Canadian Artist in Brittany Historians speak of the influence of French academic art on the Quebec and Canadian artists under the age of 30 who went to Paris. From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century Paris became the art capital of the western world. Paul Peel (1860-1892) was born in London, Ontario, to a family that loved the arts; his father carved funeral monuments and his sister painted. He was encouraged at an early age to take drawing lessons. At 17, he left for the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts where he studied under Thomas Eakins who is recognized as an exceptional painter of the American tradition of Realism. Thomas Eakins, Spinning: Sketch, ca.1881, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

In 1880, Peel traveled to London, England and then moved to Paris the following year to study. It was then that he went to Pont-Aven to see his friends from Philadelphia. We can say that the year 1881 was a pivotal year in his career as he discovered Brittany which would feed several of his works, including La fileuse (1882). By this time, Peel was already considered the student who came closest to what is now called “academic” painting, which favors a neoclassical approach. Narrative genre scenes, with a lot of detail, with a tendency to romantic or naturalistic realism were preferred by the public. With the beginnings of industrialization, the many political upheavals, and the increase in scientific knowledge, the works produced by academic artists appealed to buyers and were fashionable business successes. Peel remains one of the first Canadian artists to receive international recognition during his lifetime and to tackle the subject of the nude. His last works showed an impressionistic tendency. Unfortunately, he Paul Peel, Self-portrait, 1892, National Gallery of Canada died in Paris of pulmonary complications, at the age of 32. 1979.16, Paul Peel, London, Ontario, 1860 - Paris 1892, Repose, About 1890. Oil on canvas, 58.1 x 78.1 cm, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, purchase, Harold Lawson Bequest. Photo MMFA, Brian Merrett.

La fileuse Peel's story is meant to be calm and serene: a young Breton woman is seated near her child who is sleeping peacefully in a cozy enclosed bed. Her half-smile reveals her happiness. Her dreamy gaze is directed to a natural wooden distaff which she holds in her left hand. She performs a simple and repetitive craft task as she effortlessly spins the linen or wool. Peel immortalized a traditional occupation that would soon be lost due to industrialization. 1882.138, Paul Peel, London, Ontario, 1860 Paris 1892, The Spinner, 1881 Oil on canvas, 119.6 x 91.4 cm, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, gift of William G. Murray. Photo MMFA, Christine Guest The spinner represents a classic and romantic genre scene that brings together several features of the academic artistic movement. It is a large oil of 119.6cm x 91.4cm (3’11’’x 3’). The surface of the canvas is mostly smooth, flat, and shiny. We see little trace of brushstrokes or gestures though there are some cracks. At the bottom right is the signature of the artist Paul Peel and below "Paris-1881". Although painted in Paris, Peel respected the elements of the Breton interior which are important for the peasant atmosphere he wanted to create.

Breton Costume Peel offers a typical Breton element in the spinner's costume. All regions and parishes display distinct clothes and headdresses. However, these habits evolve over the years such as the addition of accessories, the creation of patterns, or new colors. La fileuse‘s outfit represents an everyday dress with her long pistachio green mid-calf above the ankle skirt, her forest green bodice with a square neckline and layered sleeves, her white front or plastron, her small black waistcoat or corselet with beige embroidery around and its collar on the shoulders. On the skirt and tied at the waist, a long salmon pink apron with thin green stripes is half rolled up on itself. The snag on the left sleeve shows reality as the clothes are repaired and must last a lifetime. On her head, she wears a buff yellow headdress with white polka dots, belted with white lace and having a white cap attached to the back. The headdress (or coiffe) often difficult to identify seems to be the weekly headdress from the Rosporden region with the ribbons tied behind. From the 19th century, headdresses became an identity code. With it, we recognize a married woman or a young girl who received her first headdress on the day of her first communion. We know if she belongs to a rich or a poor family. The headdresses must adjust for various situations: Sunday, wedding, and mourning. Through the opening of the closed bed, we can see the arm and head of a sleeping child surrounded by white bedding. The child wears a burgundy color cap with gray appliqués around it. The child's outfit has puffed sleeves in striped chocolate brown and pinkish beige. His face, half turned towards the bottom of the bed, seems chubby and rosy in complexion with long black eyelashes. Close-up #1. 1882.138, Paul Peel, London, Ontario, 1860 Paris 1892, The Spinner, 1881 Oil on canvas, 119.6 x 91.4 cm, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, gift of William G. Murray. Photo MMFA, Christine Guest

(Left) J-M,Villard (1828-1899), Spinner of Rosporden-Headdress of work and mourning, "Collection Musée départemental breton, Quimper." © Musée départemental breton. (Right) J-M,Villard (1828-1899), Woman and child from Loctudy-Environs de Pont-l'Abbé, "Collection Musée départemental breton, Quimper." © Musée départemental breton.

The Closed Bed and the Bench One of the important components of this work, the lit clos or closed bed appears in the 17th century. Very often associated with Brittany, it is also found in Auvergne, Savoie and Dauphiné. The enclosed bed, usually made of oak, chestnut, walnut, or cherry wood, presents a rectangular shape like a large open box at the top. Depending on the region, it may show one or two sliding doors and/or curtains. (Right) J-M,Villard (1828-1899), A Closed Bed and a Breton Cradle, "Collection Musée départemental breton, Quimper." © Musée départemental breton. (Left) Closed bed with spindles. Closed bed with bench, "Collection Musée départemental breton, Quimper." © Musée départemental breton.

Close-up #2. 1882.138, Paul Peel, London, Ontario, 1860 Paris 1892, The Spinner, 1881 Oil on canvas, 119.6 x 91.4 cm, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, gift of William G. Murray. Photo MMFA, Christine Guest Behind the spinner, the dark reddish-brown wooden panels of the lit clos feature decorative Celtic designs (flowers and birds). A round hole contains a rosette made of spindles; this motif appeared at the end of the 18th century in Cornouaille. On the right panel, a barely visible horizontal perforation, adorned with a series of balusters, serves to ventilate, and "trap" open the curtains. The carved balusters date from the 19th century. A word about the curtains, the printed fabric does not exhibit Breton patterns. They would have come from Paris where the artwork was painted. The Mayor of Pont-l'Abbé also underlines this detail in a letter to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. In front of the bed, a wooden bench sits across the width of the canvas. The bench possessed various functions: seat, storage box, step to access the bed, or place to put the cradle when the parents are in bed. It can also provide a hole to hold the spinner distaff. The table often faced the bench.

The Distaff and the Spindle The distaff and the spindle, seen in numerous Breton scenes, are usually accompanied by a woman spinning. Weaving, especially that of linen, was usually carried out by men and is identified as one of the great resources of 17th and 18th century Brittany. Each of Brittany's regions specializes, and their fabrics take various names: fines, drownings, poldavis, olonnes, and crées. J-M,Villard (1828-1899), Spinner near Gourin, "Collection Musée départemental breton, Quimper." © Musée départemental breton. The mixture of linen and wool produces a commonly used material called "barlingue" or "berlingue" from which aprons are made. With linen, lace is created for clothes and headdresses, hence the small bobbins for lace in the rosettes of carved wood. Also manufactured with linen: wedding trousseaux, shirts, body linens and church fabrics. During this time bed sheets, bags, kitchen linens and boat sails come mostly from hemp. In La fileuse, the distaff which contains the flax reserve and the spindle around which the spinner winds her twisted thread are well represented in the canvas.

The Kitchen Rustic and rudimentary Breton furniture is usually placed in the room lined up against the wall and facing the door, with the window on one side and the hearth on the other. It mainly consists of the trunk, the wardrobe, the closed bed, the table, and the bench. Olivier Perrin (1761-1832), "Ar c'havel / Le berceau," 1808, "Collection Musée Départemental breton, Quimper." © Musée départemental breton. It is therefore not surprising to find, in the painting, a dark brown terracotta jug and a braid of Roscoff pink onions near the bed since most of the time there was only one common room for all the activities. Close-up #3. 1882.138, Paul Peel, London, Ontario, 1860 Paris 1892, The Spinner, 1881 Oil on canvas, 119.6 x 91.4 cm, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, gift of William G. Murray. Photo MMFA, Christine Guest

The farming of rosé de Roscoff onions began in the 18th century in the town of Roscoff located on the north coast of Brittany in the Finistère department. The traditional braid presentation made it easy for farmers to carry onions on their shoulders before placing them on their bikes. Roscoff Onions (Kilo String), www.osolocal2u.com Daily life in Roscoff - Les Johnnies.www.roscoff-quotidien.eu/Johnies

This braiding method facilitates conservation and has accompanied sailors on their long journeys. In 1828, Henri Olivier and his companions sold their onions in England which was minor compared to the 1500 sellers who exported in 1929. Men and young boys went door-to-door to sell onions. The British affectionately baptised them "little Jean" or "Johnnies" since the first name Yann or Yannick was very common in Brittany, hence the “Onion Johnnies”. An onion peel lies near a large flat-bottomed copper dish often used to cook Breton far (flan) generally with prunes or apples. This dish probably comes from Normandy, particularly Villedieu-les-Poêles or from England. Far Breton, Credit: https://cuisine.journaldesfemmes.fr/recette/305976-far-breton Johnny Onions was even immortalized in a Henriot faïence. You can learn more about their history in the articles by Millicent Mali and Gaynor Smith. Johny Onions, manufactured by Henriot Quimper circa 1925. Copyright Adela and Mark Meadows. Note: Spelling can be with one "n" in Breton.

Quimper Faïences In the painting of La fileuse, a bowl is resting on the bench by the mother's side. Its lower part is light brown and the top part is beige yellow. A red band partially surrounds the bowl as well as black zigzag lines inside. Éloury-Porquier, (1830-1850), Bowl with ears, “Rosalie”, "Collection Musée départemental breton, Quimper." © Musée départemental breton. (Left) Close-up #4. 1882.138, Paul Peel, London, Ontario, 1860 Paris 1892, The Spinner, 1881 Oil on canvas, 119.6 x 91.4 cm, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, gift of William G. Murray. Photo MMFA, Christine Guest The bowl in La fileuse certainly originates from the Éloury-Porquier manufacture (1830-1850) such as the one in the photo above. However, we do not see ears on the bowl. It's a spout in this case, a bec verseur. Presumably, it contains the water used by the spinner to wet her fingers while working. Pouring bowl, Quimper, XIXth, "Collection Musée départemental breton, Ludovic Clément, www.histoire-du-biberon.com Quimper." © Musée départemental breton. Next to and a little behind the bowl, a small vase with blue and yellow lines on the foot, and red and green flower designs in the swollen part at the top is depicted. It is in fact a feeding bottle for the child, the only known earthenware of this form, called "Pod Bronnek” (nipple pot). Cornet Bois tourné Balustre en étain Fiole en verre à drapeau Longs tuyaux Pod Bronnek Nourricier Droits en verre

The design of this egg-shaped form comes with a handle on the side and a nipple-shaped spout for drinking on the other side. This spout can often be covered with a “flag.” a piece of fabric that simulates the nipple. (Left) Photo credit: Biberon "Pod bronnek", HR, 250 ml , Ludovic Clément, www.histoire-du-biberon.com (Right) Photo credit: Ludovic Clément, www.histoire-du-biberon.com Yannick Clapier, in his article "Biberons: Faience Feeding Bottles," tells us about the history of the bottle and the differentiation between biberon and chevrette. As seen in the below photography, the often-taller chevrette has a larger opening, a beak, a handle on the side and another handle on the top to lift it. It can also come with a cover. We commonly call it chevrette but its name, according to Y. Clapier, is chevrette biberon.

In 2003, author Millicent Mali mentions that the 1950s Henriot catalog uses the term “buire,” defined as a jug-shaped vase with a spout, a handle on the top and two or three handles on the sides. It was previously called a cider pitcher. This large "buire" or chevrette is used by adults, not infants. The chevrette presents a larger pitcher with a long pouring neck, almost two inches. Apothecaries utilize it to contain liquid products. Rosamund Wilson calls them syrup jars despite their shape which is similar to a biberon but without a handle on top. Today distinguishing between the two types has generally given way to simply referring to them as chevrettes. Photo credit: Biberon "Chevrette", Henriot, Quimper, France, Ludovic Clément, www.histoire-du-biberon.com Henriot, Chevrette Pichet, Quimper," Collection Musée départemental breton, Quimper." © Musée départemental breton. Ludovic Clément produces a very comprehensive website on the history of the baby bottle. It comprises information on history, old documents, collections, a bibliography, a monthly newsletter for bibérophiles, collectors of the biberon or infant feeder.

Peel was not the only one to illustrate the Breton biberon. Here, the infant feeder is showcased in the foreground in a still life by Paul Gauguin (1848-1903). Paul Gauguin, Still Life with Quimper Pitcher (Nature morte à la cruche de Quimper), 1889, www.common.wikipedia.org., source : lilac2012.livejournal On the table is probably a sketchbook, and in the background, is a work recalling his stay in Martinique which announces the abstraction of his Tahitian works to come. This is certainly a study for his painting In the Waves (Ondine) also from 1889. (Right) Paul Gauguin, Dans les Vagues (Ondine), 1889, Cleveland Museum of Art. Public domain.

Hélène Schjerfbeck (1862-1946), a Finnish artist, made several trips to Brittany between 1882 and 1889. We recognize a chevrette alongside the young girl. Hélène Schjerbeck, "Fillette bretonne", 1881, Helsinki City Art Museum Photo credit :Ludovic Clément, www.histoire-du-biberon.com In 1886 at the age of 18, Émile Bernard (1868-1941) went to Pont-Aven but at the time, he had little connection with Paul Gauguin. Two years later, an exceptional dialogue is established between these two artists who were moving towards similar pictorial research. However, in 1891, Bernard became angry with Gauguin whom he accused of taking for himself the innovations of the artists of Pont-Aven. We can easily recognize the biberon in this work by Bernard. Emile Bernard, Pots de grès et pommes,1887, Musée d'Orsay, Paris.

From Amsterdam, Meyer de Haan (1852-1895), a close friend of Gauguin, was a member of the Pont-Aven School. He paid Gauguin's board in exchange for lessons. On his oil mounted on wood, Still Life, Pitcher and Onions from 1891, the pitcher is in fact a Breton baby bottle (biberon). Meyer de Haan , Nature morte,Pichet et Oignons, 1891, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Quimper. Quimper.

Conclusion The spinner, "La fileuse" highlights several of Paul Peel's qualities including his skilful use of colors and the dazzling light he creates. This successful genre scene of everyday Breton life evokes the woman, the mother, happy performing a traditional task, spinning near her sleeping child. Spinning encourages meditation, reverie, we see her half-smile. La fileuse is a romantic representation of the peasant life. Moreover, the Bretons assess that the pictorial images of peasant life, made by foreign painters, give an ideal character to the activity of women spinners. But spinning has also a symbolic meaning. Clotho, one of the three fates of Greek mythology, embodies the spinner of the thread of life of all mortals. She decides who is born or who dies. Is this what Peel is talking about? Chevrette, Henriot Quimper, France,113. Bébé, B.Savigny, FAB, Quimper Biberon, HB Photo: Louise Gauthier

Acknowledgements Clément, Ludovic www.histoire-du-biberon.com Duncan, Nancy, editing. Meadows, Adela and Mark, "Johny Onions" photo. Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada. Musée départemental breton, Quimper, France. Williams, Lucy, layout, editing. References Clapier, Yannick, Biberons: Faïence Feeding Bottles”, Le Journal, Quimper Club International, Vol.14, No1/Summer 2012. Dannenberg, L., LeVee, P. and Moulin, P., L’art de vivre en Bretagne, Flammarion, Paris, 1990. Grenier, Alexandre, J’aime la Bretagne, Éditions Atlas, Paris, 1995. Heugel, Inès, Les Objets de Bretagne, Éditions du Chêne, Hachette, 2001. Les peintres du Finistère, Éditions Ouest-France, Rennes, 1993. Le Stum, Philippe, Arts populaires de Bretagne, Éditions Ouest-France, Rennes, 1995. Macdonald, Colin S. Dictionary of Canadian artists, volume 5: Nadeau-Perrigard, Canadian Paperback, Ottawa, 1967. Mali, Millicent, Johnny Onions, Old Quimper Review, vol. IX, number 2, October 1998. Mali, Millicent, From sea biscuit to tea biscuit, Old Quimper Review, vol. XIV, number 2, October 2003. Smith, Gaynor, Johnny Onions, Journal, Quimper Club International, Vol.9, No.2, Autumn/Winter, 2007. Wilson, Rosamund, Faïences Apothecary Jars in the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, Le Journal, Quimper Club International, Vol.15, No.13/ Summer 2013.

La fileuse 1882.138, Paul Peel, London, Ontario, 1860 Paris 1892, The Spinner, 1881 Oil on canvas, 119.6 x 91.4 cm, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, gift of William G. Murray. Photo MMFA, Christine Guest