Paul-Élie Ranson was a painter belonging to the group of late 19th century artists known as Les Nabis. Ranson and his contemporaries sought to demonstrate an artistic style that, while stemming from Impressionism, was influenced by Symbolism, Art Nouveau and Japanese prints. Born in Limoges, France, Ranson began his studies at the École des Arts Décoratifs, and later transferred to Paris’ Académie Julian in 1886.
Paul-Élie Ranson was a painter belonging to the group of late 19th century artists known as Les Nabis. Ranson and his contemporaries sought to demonstrate an artistic style that, while stemming from Impressionism, was influenced by Symbolism, Art Nouveau and Japanese prints. Born in Limoges, France, Ranson began his studies at the École des Arts Décoratifs, and later transferred to Paris’ Académie Julian in 1886.
Around 1890, discontent with the narrow representational painting instruction, he and fellow student Paul Sérusier (French, 1863–1927) formed Les Nabis, using his living room as the monthly meeting spot. One of the greatest influences on their work was post-impressionist Paul Gauguin (French, 1848–1903). Gauguin was initially an Impressionist but turned his back on the style to focus on a more symbolic style—which was greatly influenced by the arts of Africa, French Polynesia and other non-western cultures. While Les Nabis work was influenced by Paul Gauguin, they cultivated an aesthetic all their own, not only in artistic style but culturally as well. Furthermore, they pushed beyond painting, continuing their artistry in new forms such as architectural painting, decorative screens, posters, book illustrations and design for theater. The artwork came to be a part of the nineteenth centuries focus on both beautiful aesthetics and advertising.
Although a talented painter, Ranson’s work vacillated towards the decorative arts, designing and executing with his wife many tapestries such as Femmes en Blanc (c.1895), now in the Musée d’Orsay’s collection. In his paintings, Ranson favored exotic and emblematic themes that exemplified the interaction between humans and nature, illustrated in Nabi Landscape (1890). Ranson found influence from the Art Nouveau movement which focused on the beauty of nature and the simplicity of nature. He also utilized the stylizing effect of flat, bold colors and simplified drawing—an approach shared amongst the Nabis. In 1908, he founded his own school with his wife, the Académie Ranson, to teach Nabi aesthetic, ideas and techniques. Ranson died the following year leaving his wife to run the school, which continued into the early 1950s.
