Les Nabis: The Prophets

Paul Sérusier (French, 1863-1927), The Talisman, 1888, oil on wood panel (cigar box lid), 10 3/4 x 8 1/2 inches (27 x 21.5 cm), Musée d'Orsay, Paris. This painting is generally considered the first Nabis work.An avant-garde group of French painters and poets, active during 1888-99, were persuaded to reject naturalistic representation and, instead, to paint in flat areas of pure color. That advice came from the Post-Impressionist art Paul Gauguin (French, 1848-1903) and was given to the French painter, Paul Sérusier (1863-1927). This group called themselves “Les Nabis” from the Hebrew word Nebiim, meaning "prophets."  Also influenced by the Symbolist movement, the Nabis felt that a painting should not imitate reality but parallel nature, creating a world unto itself. They stressed the importance of subjective and sometimes mystical perceptions. Along with painting, they worked in theater design, book illustration, posters and stained glass. Piérre Bonnard (French, 1867-1947) and Edouard Vuillard (French, 1868-1940) were important painters in the group, along with Aristide Maillol (French, 1861-1944), Maurice Denis (French, 1870-1943), Paul Ranson (French, 1864-1909), Ker-Xavier Roussel (French, 1867-1944), Félix Vallatton (French, 1865-1925), Henri-Gabriel Ibels (French, 1867-1936), Jozsef Rippl-Ronai (French, 1867-1944), and Sérusier.