The Montparnasse District and Art
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Montparnasse District became the heart of Parisian art.
The Cafes of the Dôme and the Rotonde are frequented by Artists and it is there that a new, intense, expressive painting is born, which needs a new type of painting to be better valued. The Montparnasse frames appear, adapted to the effects and colors of the First School of Paris.
The Montparnasse frame is in carved wood and its appearance is deliberately rough-hewn, the proportions are enlarged to give an impression of speed and strength.
When we talk about the decoration of a frame, we are talking about the finishing technique that gives the frame its appearance: gilding, wax, patina, painting, lacquering, etc. The decoration of the Montparnasse frame is completely new: the sculpture is embellished with a deliberately imperfect decoration.
The carving uses traditional techniques and the wooden structure is coated with Blanc de Meudon and rabbit skin glue in several layers. The first layers are of white or red clay, the last one is colored with earth pigments in dull verdigris, grays or browns.
Thus the work is voluntarily "sabotaged", in open opposition to the traditional concept of the "beautiful work".