JACQUES MAJORELLE (1886-1962)
Tazouda / Tondoute (1,539m - 5,049 ft)
Morocco
In Les terrasses de Tazouda, 1949, gouache on paper, 60 x 90cm, Private collection
The site
The site of Tazouda / Tondoute (1,539m - 5,049 ft) is nowasays remarkable because it is the place where was discovered in 2002, a completely unknown dinosaur, the Atlasaurus. These are, the scientists said, "the oldest known cranial remains of a sauropod" and are believed to be around 180 million years old, or the Middle Jurassic.
Named “Tazoudasaurus naïmi”, from the name of the village of Tazouda where it was discovered, this dinosaur of about 9 meters long could well be “the ancestor” of the North American sauropods “only 140 million years old years. " Evidence for a major brachiosaurus fossil dates back to 1998, with the gendarmerie discovering trafficking in bones originally discovered by a peasant on a rocky slope above his village. Scented, Moroccan scientists come to study the field and quickly realize that they have fallen on a vein of dinosaur bones. The Moroccan authorities then decided to call on foreign scientists. Under the name of “Dinoatlas”, a research agreement is signed between Moroccan and foreign researchers for a program which will last at least four years.
The painter
Jacques Majorelle son of the celebrated Art Nouveau furniture designer Louis Majorelle, was a French painter. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Nancy in 1901 and later at the Académie Julian in Paris with Schommer and Royer. Majorelle became a noted Orientalist painter, but is most remembered for constructing the villa and gardens that now carry his name, Les Jardins Majorelle in Marrakech.
In around 1917 he travelled to Morocco to recover from heart problems and after short period spent in Casablanca, he visited Marrakech, where he fell in love with the vibrant colours and quality of light he found there. Initially, he used Marrakech as a base for trips to Spain, Italy and other parts of North Africa, including Egypt. Eventually, however, he settled in Marrakech permanently.
He drew inspiration for his paintings from his trips and from Marrakesch itself. His paintings include many street scenes, souks and kasbahs as well as portraits of local inhabitants. He opened a handicrafts workshop in Marrakech and also designed posters to promote travel to Morocco. His work was profoundly affected by his voyages around the Mediterannean and North Africa. He introduced a more coloured vision, bathed in light where the drawing disappears and the image emerges from large spots of colour laid flat. It seemed as if he had discoved the sun in these countries. His style exhibited more freedom and spontaneity.
During his lifetime, many of Majorelle's paintings were sold to private buyers and remain in private collections. Some of his early works can be found in Museums around his birthplace such as the Musée de l'Ecole de Nancy. Examples of his later work can be seen in the Mamounia Hotel, Marrakesch, the French Consulate of Marrakech and in the Villa at the Majorelle Gardens.
_______________________________
2020 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau
