The Pont-Aven school and its heirs
In the 19th century, with the advent of Romanticism, Brittany became a subject of interest for artists. The region appeared picturesque and exotic, with its wild landscapes and well-preserved traditions. Painters and writers flocked here in droves to depict the region, helping to forge the image of a land steeped in folklore.
Among painters, this infatuation crystallized particularly in a small town in southern Finistère: nestling at the end of a ria, Pont-Aven first attracted a number of American, British and Polish artists in the 1860s, who came to spend the summer. They found a warm welcome: boarding houses were affordable and of high quality, and workshops and models were easy to find. But it was in the 1880s that Pont-Aven acquired its notoriety, with the arrival of the famous Paul Gauguin, who rallied around him young post-impressionist painters such as Paul Sérusier, Maxime Maufra and Emile Bernard. Together, they formed the Pont-Aven school and developed a new style, synthétisme, marked by the use of strong, flat colors and a representation detached from pure reality, leaving room for the painter's perception. Today, the Musée de Pont-Aven is dedicated to promoting the works of this school and its heirs.
Pont-Aven and Brittany continued to attract artists for several decades, such as fauvist leader Henri Matisse and expressionist Bernard Buffet, who settled in Saint-Cast. Brittany also played an important role in the renewal of printmaking, notably with Paul Gauguin and Emile Bernard. Then Henri Rivière, a lover of Far Eastern art and of Brittany, where he spent every summer, applied the Japanese technique of color printmaking to the painting of Breton landscapes. He paved the way for Japonism in Brittany, which lends itself well to the style, with its decorations of rugged beauty. Japonism would have its heyday with Géo-Fourrier, Xavier Josso, René Quillivic, René-Yves Creston and Mathurin Méheut. A major figure in Breton painting, Méheut, a prolific artist fascinated by Japan, was an attentive witness to his era: mobilized during the First World War, he drew daily life in the trenches. Aware of the evolution of traditional society, he endeavored to leave a trace of it, taking as his subjects work in the fields, port activities and small craftsmen such as seaweed makers, clog makers and embroiderers. The museum dedicated to him in Lamballe is well worth a visit, as is that devoted to his pupil Yvonne Jean-Haffen, in Dinan.
Seiz Breur modernize traditions
The 1920s saw the emergence of an artistic movement that was to have a major influence on Breton creation. Initiated by the engraver Jeanne Malivel, the Seiz Breur movement (the Seven Brothers, named after a traditional tale) brought together artists who wanted to take Breton art out of folklore and into the modern world. They combined traditional techniques and motifs with contemporary, geometric and stylized aesthetics, inspired by Art Deco, which was flooding Europe at the time, as well as English Arts and Crafts and German Bauhaus. Furniture, earthenware, wallpaper, textiles, posters, engravings and book illustrations... They were particularly active in the decorative arts, aiming to bring art into the home and into everyday life.
The Seiz Breur brought together some sixty members, the most illustrious of whom were painter and engraver René-Yves Creston, the movement's main driving force, cabinetmaker Joseph Savina, painter Xavier de Langlais... During the Second World War, a number of Seiz Breur members and associates fell prey to nationalist tendencies. The movement was disbanded in 1947, but left a lasting imprint.
Breton pictures
In the 19th century, picturesque Brittany was an ideal playground for the emerging art of photography. Numerous photographers from all horizons came to capture its traditional headdresses and costumes, its pardons and its rugged landscapes. Together with writers and painters, they helped forge the image of an archaic Brittany, steeped in tradition.
These highly popular images were the ancestors of the postcard, which enjoyed its golden age in the early 20th century. A popular tourist destination, Brittany was the subject of numerous postcards, small reflections of their time, depicting everyday scenes, major festivals, railway stations, current events... To find out more, visit the Musée du Carton Voyageur, in Baud, which holds a fascinating collection of 120,000 postcards.
At the same time, from the 1850s onwards, portrait photographers opened studios in every town in the region, and even in the smallest villages in the early 20thcentury . Among these country photographers, one woman stood out: introduced to photography in Paris, where she had gone to work before returning to her native land, Yvonne Kerdudo criss-crossed rural Trégor on her bicycle throughout the first half of the 20thcentury , capturing family celebrations, balls, farm work... "Madame Yvonne" left several thousand glass plates, treasures of popular heritage, recently rediscovered and enhanced by the Papier Théâtre company.
In the 20th century, great photographers cast their eye over the region, without folklore: Guy Le Querrec and Michel Thersiquel, both born in the 1940s, are two examples. Le Querrec photographed many foreign locations for the prestigious Magnum agency. But this child of Breton emigration also returned regularly to his native region, leaving behind thousands of snapshots taken from life, at a human level, that tell the story of the changes in post-war Brittany: the world of agriculture and the beginnings of mechanization, pardons, weddings, the appearance of bikinis on the beaches... Michel Thersiquel, for his part, plunged into the daily lives of fishermen, islanders, farmers, Bigoudens... through his reports. His collection is preserved at the Port-musée de Douarnenez.
Today, Brittany offers a wide range of photographic experiences, in a variety of venues and events. The GwinZegal art center, housed in Guingamp's former prison, offers high-quality exhibitions. In Lorient, the Galerie du Lieu and its Rencontres photographiques, held every two years, are a must. As is L'Imagerie, in Lannion. Every summer, the streets and gardens of La Gacilly welcome photographic reports from around the world, focusing on social and environmental issues. Other events in the region include the Photofestival in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc, the Vannes Photos Festival, Escales Photos in Morbihan and Pluie d'images in Brest.
Street-art to conquer the walls
Fans of street art will find many fine examples in the region. First and foremost in Rennes: the Breton capital has become a mecca for urban art. Among the finest works are those by War!, nicknamed the Banksy of Rennes because of his anonymity. His animal frescoes bring a wild and poetic wind to the heart of the city. Brest has also made its mark on the street-art scene, notably through projects such as "Crimes of minds" and "Les murs prennent la parole", which have left numerous frescoes, often on the theme of the sea. Saint-Brieuc's walls have also taken on a more colorful look in recent years, thanks in particular to the Just do paint street-art festival (now replaced by Shake art) and the Robien les murs project. In the port of Le Légué, the fishermen's hangar on Quai Surcouf serves as an open-air gallery. Many other towns, such as Vannes, Lorient, Redon, Morlaix and Saint-Malo, are also home to murals. Maps, itineraries and even guided tours are often available to help you discover them.
The lairs of contemporary creation
Today, Brittany is a land of dynamic creativity, with a wealth of venues and events. Rennes in particular is home to two contemporary art centers, 40mcube and La Criée. The Breton capital also hosts exhibitions from the Pinault Collection, the world's largest collection of contemporary art. It is also home to the Fonds régional d'art contemporain (Frac), which organizes ambitious exhibitions both inside and outside its walls.
At the other end of the region, in the heart of Brest, the Passerelle contemporary art center occupies a former warehouse. The neighboring town of Landerneau is home to the Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la culture, which organizes major annual exhibitions devoted to Picasso, Miro and Chagall.
Central Brittany is not to be outdone: every summer since 1992, "L'art dans les chapelles" has invited national and international artists to create original works in situ in a dozen chapels in the Blavet valley. Not far away, the Domaine de Kerguéhennec hosts one of Europe's largest sculpture parks and exhibitions. It also boasts a space dedicated to Pierre Tal Coat, a major painter of the 20th century.
There's also the Raymond-Hains gallery in Saint-Brieuc, the former Ecole des filles in Huelgoat, transformed into a space for art and debate, and the Estienne studio in the small town of Pont-Scorff... Brittany also boasts a number of fine art museums, in Rennes, Quimper, Vannes and Brest, where contemporary creations rub shoulders with older works.
