The embassy of France in Ottawa, 2nd chapter, 24th Issue.

 

" An extraordinary impression of strength, color and plenitude strikes the hosts of the Embassy of France when they enter into the main dining room. Four walls are occupied by a big composition  realized by Alfred Courmes between December, 1937 and July, 1939. The artist invites us to a bucolic walk in Provence whre we contemplate this monumental work, of which the title is very suggestive: " Happy France ". This France of 1936, that of the first paid leaves, that also  announcing the Second World War. " Jean Paul Ledeur, The 30s on the banks of Outaouais, on 1993.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main dining room of the Embassy of France in Ottawa.

 

 

 

" One should imagine the size of the task undertaken by the artist. All the 10 panels represent 120 square meters, with 243 human figures, to whom are added 90 animals. Alfred Courmes will stand out a real wager by realizing his work in wax paint. It is a technique Raphaélique of difficult, complex manipulation, but that gives  the hot and deep tones. " Jean Paul Ledeur, The 30s on the banks of Outaouais, on 1993.

 

 

 

Plan of setting-up of the various scenes composing the mural painting of " Happy France ". Private ownership.

 

" I worked two years on " Happy France " [] I had brought with me from Paris all the necessary materials. While redoing my drawings, I prepared myself my colors. With the wax dissolved in  gasoline mixed by gum, I obtained a paint very pleasant to handle. It extended easily. I could return infinitely on this material and obtain rich and deep tones on a matt support. From my preliminary drawings carefully done I placed humans and animals in the panels previously divided in squares and I painted square meter per square meter. "

 

 

 

Alfred Courmes painting " Happy France ". © Yousurf Karsh

 

Lucile Courmes and his son Philippe on the stepladder of the artist.

 

 

" I gave up the theory which we could describe as the ancient way of doing like the techniques of Puvis de Chavannes, where the wall has to command the decoration and the subject to keep a flat aspect which protects the appearance of the wall. I stressed the importance of the drawing to " pierce " the wall. In other words, I created perspectives to push back the horizon and open systematically the wall in the space. I was inspired by the Venetian school where the characters live and act in the center stage, but at the bottom appear architectures and landscapes which emphasize the actors of the fresco, identify them and place them in the history ."

 

 

 

" Happy France " 1939, wax polished paint on plaster, main panel, south wall. National Art Collection of Contemporary Art. ©adagp

 

 

"With" Happy France ", Courmes signed a brilliant piece of painting [] Certain still lives are masterpieces at the level of great masters of the art history and we remain seized by the nature of the apples of the big composition, fishes of the market and especially by the lined bag hung on the chair of the woman in red, turning the back on the spectator... " Jean Fouace, Ottawa, Embassy of France, 2010, International Editions of the Heritage(holdings).

 

 

 

 

 

  

" Happy France " 1939, wax polished paint on plaster, north wall " The beach ", " The fish market " and " The hunting ", east wall " The wine ". National Art Collection of Contemporary Art.  ©adagp

 

 

 

 " Happy France " 1939, wax polished paint on plaster, west wall , The draftees ". National Art Collection of Contemporary Art.  ©adagp

 

 

" I imagined the composition to obtain the maximum of effect, in the style of a tapestry which would cover the walls of the room, without trying to simplify either the globality, nor the detail, what would have completely changed the voluntarily bushy character of the compositions. The location necessitates a big finity in the execution... All the characters are situated at the level of sight and everything must be worked accordingly, nudes, drapery, grounds, plants, animals. "

 

 

 

" Happy France " 1939, wax polished paint on plaster, details. National Art Collection of Contemporary Art. ©adagp

 

 

" Although the work was not ended in time for the inauguration, the journalist of "Canada" discerned in the work of Courmes " this accent of the best tone, this creative spirit which maintains France in a unique rank in the field of painting ". Jean Fouace, Ottawa, Embassy of France, 2010, International Editions of the Heritage(holdings).

 

You will discover in the next article dedicated to the Embassy of France in Ottawa, the other artists who participated in the decoration of this building and the tempofrary unfortunate story of Alfred Courmes's fresco...