Seiz Breur

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The Seiz Breur movement was an artistic movement founded in the interwar period by a plethora of different Breton artists. Although it adopted its symbolic name (seiz breur means seven brothers in Breton), in practice it was made up of no more than fifty members, under the name "Unvaniezh Seiz Breur" (Union of the seven brothers). This movement was one that is still recognised today as an initiator of Celto-breton art.

Contents

[edit] Origins

A young decorator and engraver, Jeanne Malivel (1895-1926), played an important role in paving the way for the movement's foundation. Her early work was picked up by James Bouillé and the painter and engraver René-Yves Creston, along with his wife Suzanne Creston. These 3 young Breton artists met in 1923 in Le Folgoët, and deciding to work together at creating a modern-style of Breton art, combining the best of the traditional with the modern-day styles.

The name they chose as Ar Seiz Breur (the seven brothers) refers to a Gallo tale by Jeanne Malivel, telling a story of initial melancholy whereby naivety and levity lead to tragedy, but later purity of intentions and the acceptance of suffering lead to redemption.

[edit] Getting underway

It was to be based on the idea of the stagnation of traditional Breton art, so rich in the past, dwindling away recently for some of the following reasons:

  • Media diffusion of a "new" different culture away from Brittany's, namely
    • « Saint Sulpice stlye statues were replacing the old-style polychrome wooden statues, needlework patterns in Parisian papers replacing traditional costume designs.
  • Monuments aux morts de la guerre 1914-1918 standardisé (choix sur catalogue du monument, poilu ou coq gaulois, dans un style souvent douteux, et mal adapté à l’architecture locale, qu’à solliciter le savoir-faire du tailleur de pierre local).

The group's goal was not just to keep relics of old-style art, but to see the way for artistic plurality in a variety of different disciplines:

[edit] Members

Some of the most notable members:

  • Paul Ladmirault and Paul Le Flem, musicians
  • engraver and novelist Xavier de Langlais
  • sculptors Jean Freour, Rafig Tullou and Yann Goulet
  • embroider Jorj Robin
  • haute couture stylist Val Riou
  • illustrator Robert Micheau-Vernez
  • ebony worker Joseph Savina
  • architect James Bouille
  • illustrator Pierre Péron
  • writer G.Berthou Kerverziou
  • editors Herry Caouissin and Ronan Caouissin
  • writer Jeanne Coroller-Danio
  • publicist and novellsit Youenn Drezen
  • professor of fine arts Morvan Marchal, creator of the modern day Flag of Brittany (Gwenn ha Du)
  • architect Olier Mordrel
  • le stringsmith Dorig Le Voyer, composer Jef Le Penven
  • master Yann Sohier, and Marc'harid Gourlaouen, promoter of the teaching of the Breton language
  • illustrator Xavier Haas

and

Georges Arnoux, Octave-Louis Aubert, André Batillat, Yves Berthou, James Bouillé, Yvette Brelet, Suzanne Creston, Herri Kaouissin, René Kaouissin, Reun Kreston, Edmond Derrouch, Fañch Elies (Abeozen), Jean Fréour, Jean Guinard, Marguerite Houel, Germaine Jouan, Roger Kervran, Paul Ladmirault, Xavier de Langlais (Langleiz), Jules Le Bozec, Paul Le Flem, Marcel Le Louet, Christian Le Part, Jef Le Penven, Régis de l'Estourbillon, Dorig Le Voyer, Madeleine Lizer, Édouard Mahé, Jeanne Malivel, Jean Mazuet, Robert Micheau-Vernez, Jacques Motheau, Michael O'Farrel, Francis Pellerin, Charles Penther, Pierre Péron, François Planeix, Yann Robert, Georges Rual, René Salaün, René Salmon de la Godelinais, Joseph Savina, Gaston Sébilleau, ...

A number of members have ties to the Breton nationalist party, which developed fascist and nationalist ideologies.

[edit] Sources of inspiration

[edit] Chronology

The Seiz Breur made a name for themselves at Parisian exhibitions in 1925 and 1937 and at Brittany's pavilions.

  • 1923 : Artistic collaboration started
  • 1925 : Participation at the l’Exposition des Arts décoratifs in Paris
  • 1926 : Death of Jeanne Malivel.
  • 1928 : Launch of the review Kornog (Western) in which the Seiz Breur members write their theories. The group renames itself Unvaniez Seiz Breur.
  • 1929 : Breton art exhibition in Douarnenez.
  • 1931 : Keltia replaces Kornog as the journal.
  • 1937 : Pavillon de la Bretagne, exposition in Paris.
  • 1939 : WW1 causes mobilisation of various members.
  • 1940 : Programme de Seiz Breur dans un manifeste en 13 points.
  • 1940-1944 : Exhibitions in Rennes or Paris under the name Eost Breiziz (Breton harvest).
  • 1944 : Xavier de Langlais replaces René-Yves Creston as president of the group
  • 1947-1948 : The end, with Rafig Tullou as the final secretary.

[edit] Période 1940-1944

1942 saw the birth of the Institut celtique, rounding up members of Seiz Breur and a diverse range of Bretons. In the mean time, a text announcing the role of Bretagne in new Europe appears in La Bretagne, a newspaper of Yann Fouéré, signed by the « Seizh Breur ». This text reminds the readers of the lesson on racial vitality they gave at the International Exhibition in 1937. One group of artists changed their opinion from neither red nor white, just Breton to nationalism, then to collaboration, hoping that the Germans would grant independence to Brittany. Political unrest involving the war and nationalist controversies led to the union's closure in 1944. Like most of the figures in the Breton movement, at the end of the war the group collapsed.

[edit] Ideologic art

Seiz Breur had an exhibition dedicated to them first in the Musée de Bretagne in Rennes and in other four galleries in Brittany between 2000 and 2001, where the group's links to breton nationalism and its extreme-rightist wing were denoted. However, only a handful of its members were linked to it.

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