Témoignages sur l’enseignement de la gravure à l’École nationale des beaux-arts, 1945-1955

Abstract

Recollections about the teaching of engraving in the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts from 1945 to 1 955. In 1945, the teaching of engraving was reorganized in the ENSBA, with two ateliers : line-engraving and etching, headed by two professors : Robert Cami, master engraver, and Edouard Goerg, artist, engraver and aquafortist. The recollections of two former pupils, Maurice Chot-Plassot and Jean Peschard, give an account of the style of their masters teaching. Imbued with the classical tradition of the ENSBA, they passed on a sensibility towards engraving, shared their preferences and, through their own work, served as examples. According to Maurice Chot-Plassot, Robert Cami knew how to highlight and explain the technical secrets of the quattrocento masters. The range of the blacks as well as the relief resided in the line. Jean Peschard emphasizes the importance of light in Edouard Goerg’s work and in his teaching. In spite of their different educational approach, the black and white remained the rule. The Prix de Rome marked the successful conclusion of a training and the recognition of the laureate among his peers. The requirements, even the restraints of this competition (such as the figuration of a 33 centimeters nude) represented the educational pillars of the ENSBA. During their stay in the Villa Medici, the artists were given the opportunity of a reflection about the cultural heritage of their School and the contemplation of new researches (on colour and abstraction).