Luminais worked in the
genre and historical modes. He was among the
academic painters who satisfied a social demand for aggrandising, even propagandistic historical works in the early years of the
Third Republic, after the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. As such, he shared in their condemnation by the advocates of modern art. However, in some paintings, such as
The Widow (1865) he foreshadows social realism. He also used a historical dressing to make hunting and peasant scenes more palatable to the Academy. he also depicted other scenes of early medieval history, often clashes between different peoples, such as campaign-hardened Romans in breastplates reinforced with metal battling daring Celts who are bare-chested, with only helmet and shield for protection. More unusually among historical artists of the time, he also depicted the Franks, whose contribution to French history was then generally underrated in favour of the Gauls. His painting of the
Alemannic rout at the hands of the
Franks in the
Battle of Tolbiac impressed
Théophile Gautier at the
1848 Salon. His
Frankish Cavalry in Combat was inspired by reading
Chateaubriand. His paintings on
Merovingian topics emphasise the barbaric cruelty of the rulers.
Pepin the Short's overthrow of
Childeric III with the agreement of
Pope Zachary and the deposed king's imprisonment in the Monastery of St. Bertin at
Saint-Omer is the subject of his painting
The Last of the Merovingians, for which he reportedly used one Jean Marie Dagobert as his model. At the 1883 Salon, the critic Charles Bigot hoped this would indeed be Luminais "last" Merovingian painting. As was common among historical painters at the time, His
In Sight of Rome shows the same liberty: the shield on the left and the helmets are not realistic. The Celtic incursion into Italy made an early and lasting impression on artists. In depicting the Merovingian Franks, 19th-century painters unaware of archaeological evidence costumed queens in Oriental Germanic fashion, as in Luminais'
Merovingian Princess. Luminais' approach focussed more on distancing the image from the present than on evoking a specific era.
The Sons of Clovis II In 1880 he painted what, according to
Bonnie Effros, was his most famous Merovingian painting, and later reconciled with their parents. The version exhibited at the 1880 Salon created a sensation and is judged to be his best work. The painting evokes varying and strong reactions;
Simone de Beauvoir wrote in 1960 of "calm horror". The work went through a number of stages of refinement. The first study,
Première pensée pour les Énervés de Jumièges, shows the cutting of the tendons and depicts four figures; a second study depicts the raft floating down the river, but has three figures, prefiguring the men's salvation by the monks. The two finished paintings show only the two figures alone on the raft. The version shown at the Salon was sold to Australia under the title
The Sons of Clovis II and after being exhibited in various locations including Wallis & Sons' gallery of French paintings in London (1881), the Munich International Exposition (1883), the
National Gallery of South Australia and the
National Gallery of Victoria (1896), is now in the
Art Gallery of New South Wales in
Sydney. The second version, with greater emphasis on the grandeur of nature, was kept by Luminais; after his death it was acquired by the State and in 1912 was deposited in the
Musée des Beaux-Arts in
Rouen.
Brenne paintings . At his summer studio in Douadic, he painted works reflecting his love of nature and of hunting, such as: •
The Hallali, memories of hunting in Brenne in 1863 •
The Two Guardians •
La Folle du Tertre (the madwoman of the mound), based on a local legend •
Hunting Through the Ages, six-panel work for the dining room of his friend Louis Fombelle • Illustrations for Jules de Vorys' book on
Dagobert I,
Dagobert en Brenne Monumental painting Luminais was one of five artists who collaborated between 1886 and 1889 on a monumental
fresco, more than in area, for the interior of the dome of the
Paris Commercial Bourse, representing the history of intercontinental trade. It includes a scene representing America which features Indians, slaves, labourers, cowboys, and a steam train representing the modern world. File:Evariste-Vital Luminais - Gaulois en vue de Rome.jpg|
In Sight of Rome File:Evariste-Vital Luminais - Pirates normands au IXe siècle.jpg|
Norman pirates in the 9th century File:Evariste-Vital Luminais - Les deux rivaux.jpg|
Rivals File:Evariste-Vital Luminais - Psyché.jpg|
Psyché Image:'The Sons of Clovis II', oil on canvas painting by Évariste Vital Luminais, 1880, Art Gallery of New South Wales.jpg|
The Sons of Clovis II (Sydney version) File:Evariste-Vital Luminais - La soupe des chiens de chasse.jpg|
Feeding the hunting dogs ==References==