La production monumentale du peintre français George Desvallières (1861-1950) a été longtemps méconnue, comme en témoigne l’absence jusqu’à présent d’une recension exhaustive. Il s’imposait de réaliser un véritable catalogue et surtout de mettre les thèmes de ses œuvres monumentales et décoratives en regard avec la vie de l’artiste et le contexte historique, artistique et religieux de l’époque. Dès les années 1890, Desvallières se confronte au monumental à travers des panneaux décoratifs dont l’iconographie se limite jusqu’en 1914 à des thèmes profanes. Sa production prend une tout autre ampleur après la Grande Guerre. La mort au combat de son fils, en 1915, et le vœu qu’il a fait dans les tranchées, en 1916, de se consacrer entièrement à la peinture religieuse sont les marqueurs historiques et iconographiques de la seconde partie de sa carrière. Les années 1918-1950 seront celles de ses plus grandes réalisations dans le domaine monumental : fresque, peinture marouflée, cartons de vitraux et de tapisserie, ex-voto monumentaux sont autant de supports qu’il exploite pour peindre une mystique de la Grande Guerre où le Poilu et l’infirmière côtoient les grandes figures religieuses. La création avec Maurice Denis des Ateliers d’Art sacré en 1919 témoigne du rôle important assigné par ces deux artistes aux arts décoratifs, dont Desvallières favorise le développement au Salon d’Automne qu’il préside dès 1935, mais aussi dans des jurys et des expositions en France comme à l’étranger. L’étude des grands ensembles décoratifs de l’artiste complète utilement les recherches menées sur l’art décoratif de la première moitié du XXe siècle et contribuent au war studies en vue du centenaire de la Grande Guerre. / The monumental production by the French painter George Desvallières (1861-1950) has long been misunderstood, as shown by the absence so far of a comprehensive review. Therefore, not only the compilation of a real catalogue became inevitable and necessary, but above all putting the artist’s monumental and decorative works into the context of his and the historical, artistic and religious events of his time. By the 1890s, Desvallières turned to monumental decorative panels with an iconography that was until 1914 limited to secular themes. His production takes a very different scale after the Great War. His son’s death in battle, in 1915, and the vow the artist took in the trenches in 1916 to devote himself exclusively to religious paintings are historical and iconographic markers of the second part of his career. The years 1918-1950 will be those of his greatest achievements in monumental works: fresco paintings, marouflages, stained glass and tapestries, as well as monumental votive offerings are all media he is exploiting to paint a mysticism of the Great War where the Poilu , the French soldier, and the nurse are jointly depicted with great religious figures. The creation with Maurice Denis of the Ateliers d’Art sacré , the Sacred Art Workshops in 1919, demonstrates the important role the two artists assigned to the decorative arts. Desvallières promotes its development at the Salon d'Automne , which he presides from 1935 onwards, as well in juries and exhibitions in France and abroad. The study of large decorative ensembles of the artist is a valuable addition to the research on decorative arts of the first half of the Twentieth Century and contributes to the First World War Studies as we are approaching the upcoming centennial anniversary.

Les sociétés européennes du XVe siècle sont marquées par de profondes transformations sociales, culturelles, mais aussi religieuses : une grande vague de réforme traverse alors tous les ordres réguliers. Les tenants de ce que l’on va bientôt appeler « l’Observance » prônent un respect plus rigoureux de la règle tout en s’engageant dans la pastorale des laïcs, à une époque où les crises se succèdent au sein de l’Eglise séculière. Les religieuses prennent une part active à ce mouvement. Les moniales dominicaines, inspirées notamment par l’enseignement de Catherine de Sienne, commencent leur réforme dès 1385. Celle-ci se traduit par une réaffirmation de leur rôle contemplatif au sein de l’Ordre des Prêcheurs et par l’élaboration de normes très sévères concernant la clôture, perçue comme la manifestation visible de leur consécration totale à Dieu. La diffusion des monastères de stricte clôture, à une époque où les béguines et les pénitentes sont encore nombreuses au sein des villes, marque les esprits. L’Observance ne peut, d’ailleurs, être comprise en-dehors du contexte social dans laquelle elle s’insère, c’est pourquoi nous nous sommes intéressés à la composition sociale de deux communautés observantes de Dominicaines italiennes. Les religieuses prises en compte dans notre étude (de 1385 à 1461) sont, en grande majorité, issues de familles de la bourgeoisie urbaine (banquiers, membres des professions savantes ou riches artisans) ; elles sont aussi, le plus souvent, veuves. Peu à peu cependant, les premières moniales sont remplacées par d’autres membres de leur famille, en particulier des jeunes filles non destinées au mariage, que leurs parents établissent ainsi honorablement. La réforme observante doit donc son succès non seulement à son message prônant le renouveau de l’Eglise et de la société chrétienne, mais aussi au fait qu’elle a répondu aux nouvelles exigences d’une classe dirigeante élargie et urbanisée : les murs de la clôture protègent l’honneur de femmes célibataires de plus en plus nombreuses, tout en rendant visible leur consécration au sein d’une société où chacun se doit de remplir les devoirs correspondant à son état. / During the XVth century, European societies got transformed by deep social, cultural but also religious evolutions. A great reform movement spread through all the regular religious orders. The supporters of this movement, quickly called the “Observance” , were asking for a more rigorous respect of the Rule; they were also involved in the secular Church, trying to make up for the several crisis it was undergoing at the moment. Religious women took an active part in this movement. Dominican nuns, inspired by Catherine of Siena’s teaching, began to reform their monasteries in 1385: they reaffirmed their contemplative role within the Order of Preachers and elaborated some very strict new norms of enclosure, considered as a the visible sign of their total consecration to God. The diffusion of these new monasteries strictly enclosed, while beguines and penitent women were still numerous in the cities, was an outstanding fact for contemporary people. The Observance indeed has to be considered and studied within its social context. That is why we paid attention to the social composition of two italian observant communities of Dominican nuns (until 1461). The religious women taken into account in our study were mainly coming from non-noble but rich families (bankers, members of intellectual professions, rich artisans). Most of them were widow women. Thus, little by little, the first reformers nuns were replaced by other members of their families, mostly young brides that would not have been married, and whose parents considered observant monasteries as an honourable refuges. The Observant reform’s success is not only due to its message on the Church and Christian Society revival, but also to the answer it gave to the new requests of an enlarged and urbanized ruling class. The walls of the enclosed convents were indeed supposed to preserve the honour of a growing number of non-married women, making visible to external people their consecrated life in a society in which everybody was supposed to do the duty corresponding to its own status. / Le società europee del Quattrocento sono segnate da profonde mutazioni sociali, culturali, e anche religiose. Un movimento di riforma, che presto verrà chiamato “osservanza”, appare in quasi tutti gli ordini religiosi. Gli Osservanti promuovono il rispetto stretto della Regola, senza staccarsi però dal mondo dei laici nel quale si impegnano, cercando di rimediare alle difficoltà della Chiesa secolare, allora in crisi. Le religiose partecipano attivamento al movimento. Le monache domenicane, fedeli all’insegnamento di Caterina da Siena, cominciano a riformare le loro comunità a partire del 1385. La loro riforma consiste nella reaffermazione del loro ruolo contemplativo all’interno dell’Ordine dei Predicatori e nell’elaborazione di nuove e severissime norme di clausura, considerata come la manifestazione visibile della loro consacrazione totale a Dio. La diffusione dei monasteri di stretta clausura nelle città quattrocentesche in cui beghine e penitenti sono ancora numerose colpisce molto i contemporanei. L’Osservanza infatti non puo essere capita senza prendere in considerazione il contesto sociale in cui si è sviluppata; abbiamo dunque studiato con particolare interesse la composizione sociale di due comunità osservanti di Domenicane italiane. Le religiose censite nel nostro studio (dal 1385 al 1461) provengono, per la maggior parte, da ricche famiglie borghesi (banchieri, membri delle professioni intellettuali, ricchi artigiani); sono anche molto spesso vedove. Tuttavia, a poco a poco, vengono sostituite da altre donne provenienti dalle stesse famiglie, soprattutto giovani ragazze non destinate al matrimonio i cui genitori considerano il monastero osservante come un luogo sicuro e prestigioso. Il successo della riforma osservante, quindi, non è dovuto solo alle predicazioni dei suoi sostenitori sulla rinascità della Chiesa e della società cristiana, ma anche al fatto che la riforma sia andata incontro alle nuove esigenze di una classe dirigente più larga e più urbanizzata: i muri della clausura proteggono infatti l’onore delle sempre più numerose donne celibi, e rendono visibile la loro consecrazione in una società in cui tutti devono adempiere i doveri del proprio stato.