As my readers know, I am somewhat passionate about illustration. And many of my musings have featured French illustrated books. I think that French illustration belongs at the top of a pyramid similar to that of French cuisine. Very often exquisite! Now, I move over to French illustrated magazines – the very first three issues of Verve, a magazine that was beyond glorious. My previous two musings covered the first two issues of the magazine, and this last Verve musing covers Volume 1 No. 3.
Verve was a modernist Parisian art magazine published by Teriade between 1937 and 1960. The magazine was first published in December 1937 with a cover featuring artwork by Henri Matisse. Matisse was a driving force behind the magazine. The headquarters of the magazine was in Paris. It published 38 issues in 10 volumes including lithographs by the most prominent artists of the Parisian art scene of the first half of the 20th century. The first few issues featured art/photographs by Miro, Brassai, Man Ray, Corot, Picasso, Maillol, Renoir, Delacroix, Chagall, Klee, Rembrandt, Toulouse-Lautrec, Rubens, Matisse, etc.; with literary contributions by Dos Passos, Lorca, Malraux, Joyce, Hemingway, Tagore, Rilke, and Sartre amongst others, Artworks have been reproduced luxuriously in the method best suited to each, resulting in a gorgeous, vivid publication, chockablock with delights.
VERVE; Volume 1 Numéro 3; June 1938; Paris.
In this third issue there are four lithographs, all on card stock. As with the first issue and again in the second issue the lithographs are all related to a particular theme. In the first issue it was Les Quartre Éléments, in the second it was Les Corps Celestes.
In this issue, it is Les Quatre Saisons:
Le Printemps – par Marc Chagall
L’Ete – par Joan Miro
L’Automne – par Rattner
L’Hiver – par Paul Klee
The lithos are special and they drive the value of the magazines up considerably. They are most often removed from the magazines, which is why you often find issues of Verve at reasonable prices. The first copy of Verve that I bought in Chicago was of that ilk, but I understood the situation.
I am having a very hard time resisting the impulse to remove these glorious lithographs and framing them and hanging them along the stairs leading to the Raven & Gryphon Fine Books book room. I would relish seeing them every day and I’m sure visitors would stop and appreciate them as well. Of course, I will ask forgiveness from the book gods – No, not necessary there are no magazine gods!
These magazines are full of art, photos and drawings. This issue has a series on Indian manuscript illustrations, three of which follow:
Naissance De Vishnou
Mort de Bali
Divinites Badines
Henri Matisse has his own section of art in this issue; my two favourites are reproduced below:
Composition
Odaliaque au Magnolia
I trust that you have enjoyed this Verve series.