1893 -1935 · Psyche, Muses, Orpheus and Decorative Arcadia

Denis updates ancient myths in familiar landscapes: Psyche, Orpheus, Ariadne or the Muses become the actors of modern decorative poetry.

Mythology allows Maurice Denis to connect symbolism, decoration and rediscovery of classical art. In the Nabis years, he transposed ancient figures into gardens and forests near Saint-Germain-en-Laye or Brittany. The Muses of 1893 do not wear archaeological costumes: they are contemporary women, some inspired by Marthe Meurier, gathered under the chestnut trees of Saint-Germain. The trunks punctuate the surface, the dresses and leaves compose arabesques, and the wood becomes the scene of a revelation. After his travels in Italy, Denis adopts a larger construction, nourished by Raphael and ancient frescoes, without abandoning it decorative color. The great cycle of The Story of Psyche, produced in 1908 -1909 for the collector Ivan Morozov in Moscow, tells of love, curiosity, trial and salvation through several panels designed for a specific interior. Zephyr, Venus and Love circulate in a clear Arcadia where the narration becomes wall rhythm. Bacchus and Ariadne, Orpheus and Eurydice, The Minotaur or Eurydice isolate other moments of desire, loss and metamorphosis. Denis does not seek scholarly Antiquity. It makes myth an equivalent of modern experience - marital love, inspiration, mourning, music - and language adapted to large private or public decorations. The selection "Mythology by Maurice Denis" notably compares The Minotaur and Bacchus and Ariadne. His reading favors the material.

In Denis' mythologies, Antiquity seems close because its gods walk in familiar gardens and speak the language of modern colors.