Epiphany 2023

06 Friday Jan 2023

Tags

Adoration by the Magi, Angel Cake, Christmas in Ukraine, Epiphany, Félix Lorioux, Feasts, Sandro Botticelli, The Twelve Days of Christmas

Feasts & Liturgy

Feasts and Liturgy (page)

I have written several Epiphany articles and discovered that illustrator Félix Lorioux depicted more subject matters than the Fables of Jean de La Fontaine and Charles Perrault‘s Contes de ma mère l’Oye.

When I introduced Félix Lorioux, finding his illustrations was complex. We learned, however, that he had worked for Walt Disney. Matters have changed. The Internet now features several pictures by Lorioux. This will help us read the fables of Jean de La Fontaine, a continuation of an earlier endeavour. Images often lead to reading narratives one would otherwise overlook. Moreover, they facilitate an understanding of “stories.”

Epiphany in Quebec

When I was a child, Epiphany was the twelfth day of Christmas. The next day we returned to school. On 6 January, my mother baked a gâteau des anges (angel cake). Hiding in the cake was a bean. The person who ate the piece of cake containing the bean was crowned King or Queen. The Christmas holidays ended festively. I do not know whether all Quebec families celebrated Epiphany, but my mother did. She was an excellent cook and honoured traditions.

The Winter Solstice

Christmas occurs on or near the Winter Solstice. It is a celebration of the longest night and the winter solstice always leads to a reversal. It had been a feast since antiquity. The world was new. Then came the Carnival season leading to the Spring Equinox (equal day and night).

The Three Kings of the Orient represent all human beings. No race is excluded and Kings honour a child, a little baby. So Epiphany can be incorporated into the upside-down view of the world the Winter Solstice inspires. Félix Lorioux has given Jesus teeth, which is artistic license.

In the Eastern Church, today is Christmas. (See Christmas in Ukraine, Wikipedia.2.) The season ends on 19 January. The word Epiphany also describes a sudden revelation. Moreover, the name Tiffany derives from Epiphany.

RELATED ARTICLES

Johann Amos Comenius: Word and Art (7 November 2015) (post)
Comenius: Orbis Sensualium Pictus (13 November 2011) (post)
Epiphany Balthazar, Melchior & Gaspar (6 January 2012) (post)
Feasts and Liturgy (page)

Sources and Resources

Epiphany (Britannica)
Epiphany (holiday) (Wikipedia.2)
Christmas in Ukraine (Wikipedia.2)

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My kindest wishes to all of you. 💕

We Three Kings: Epiphany Montage,
arrangement by Eugene Ormandy (18 November 1899 – 12 March 1985)

The Adoration of the Magi by Sandro Botticelli

Le Buffon des enfants / Buffon for Children

04 Tuesday Jan 2022

Posted by michelinewalker in 19th-Century France, Beasts, Illustrations

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Birds, Félix Lorioux, French illustrator, illustrations, Insects, Le Buffon des enfants

*Les Insectes de chez nous* par Félix Lorioux / Our Insects

*Les Oiseaux de chez nous* par Félix Lorioux / Our Birds

Illustration: Felix Lorioux’s Fantastic Worlds

Le Buffon des enfants

The Franco-Prussian War
Book One: Les Oiseaux de chez nous (Our Birds)
Book Two: Les Insectes de chez nous (Our Insects)
classification
le coq gaulois

In his Buffon des enfants, Félix Lorioux followed in Buffon’s footpath. Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, (1707-1788) was a scientist. He classified his animals, and so did Lorioux. However, our second image shows a winged creature. It is a rooster and it may well be the emblematic coq gaulois (as in Gallic), the rooster of France. In 1870, France, under the French Second Empire, attacked Prussia. Self-proclaimed French Emperor Napoléon III was taken prisoner at the Battle of Sedan. The Franco-Prussian War was a bitter defeat for France. When it signed the Treaty of Frankfurt, in 1871, France gave Germany billions of francs in war indemnity, as well as most of Alsace and parts of Lorraine. (See Franco-Prussian War, Wikipedia.) I suspect, therefore, a soupçon of nationalism in Lorioux’s Les Oiseaux de chez nous (Our Birds) and Les Insectes de chez nous (Our Insects). France was again declared a republic, the French Third Republic, which lasted until 1940.

*Le Buffon des enfants* par Félix Lorioux: Les Insectes

Anthropomorphism

Lorioux’s insects are not only French; they are also anthropomorphic, or humans in disguise. Our insect musician, just above, has a dressed insect audience. Also, look at the image below this paragraph. It also has an audience. If they are dressed like human beings, animals are closer to children. Taming his animals reflects Lorioux’s insight into the nature of children. Here, Lorioux exemplifies a child’s need to identify with the animals of illustrations. One also senses that Lorioux was influenced by the very talented and numerous English illustrators of his age or nearly so.

Conclusion

The Internet has a limited number of illustrations by Loriaux. I will have to purchase books Lorioux published. Le Buffon des enfants was Lorioux’ finest achievement. Consequently, Le Buffon des enfants is a good example of Lorioux’s immense talent. The main, if not the only, source of Loriaux’s pictures featuring birds and insects is:
https://animationresources.org/illustration-felix-loriouxs-fantastic-worlds/
It is an admirable site. Lorioux’s use of pink is most fortunate. What insects are seeking in blushing flowers is their nectar.

RELATED ARTICLES
About Illustrator Félix Lorioux (8 December 2021)
Forthcoming: Félix Lorioux (1 December 2021)
The Nineteenth Century in France (28 July 2018)
The Golden Age of Illustration in Britain (30 October 2015)

Love to everyone 💕

My favourite …

Felix Lorioux — *Le Buffon des enfants* par Félix Lorioux: Les Insectes

Forthcoming: Félix Lorioux

01 Wednesday Dec 2021

Posted by michelinewalker in Animals in Literature, Æsop, Illustrations

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Cendrillon, Cinderella, Félix Lorioux, Le Renard et le Corbeau

«Le Corbeau et le Renard » by Félix Lorioux (Pinterest)

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We are leaving language laws and medicine in Quebec. My next post is about French illustrator Félix Lorioux (1872–1964).

I wanted to publish it today, but my current illness is stubborn. I must spend a week or so in Sherbrooke, but I will be returning to my friend’s home. The company of friends and readers is precious. So is the magic of this season.

Love to everyone 💕