Raphaël Delorme

Biography of Raphaël Delorme ( 1885-1962 )

Raphaël Delorme was a French painter born in 1885 in Bordeaux. At the Fine Arts School of Bordeaux, he studied with the painters Pierre-Gustave Artus and Gustave Lauriol and became a theatre decorator in Paris. Encouraged by his cousin, Madame Métalier, Delorme then devoted himself to painting.  

The artist presented his work in numerous exhibitions: the Salon d'Automne, the Salon National des Beaux-Arts, the Salon des Tuileries as well as in Tours and in Bordeaux. Little recognised during his lifetime, Delorme is considered as an important figure in Art Deco painting today.  

The influence of the theatre set was visible in all his paintings through the staging of the characters in a monumental architectural perspective. Delorme's carefully crafted design explored different architectural styles, from Antiquity to the Renaissance, and mixed mythological figures and historical references.  

Delorme depicted many female nudes in his works, with unusual proportions and postures which resembled the paintings of Ingres, whom the artist greatly admired. His taste for perspective, rigorous geometric shapes and drape was characteristic of the painting of the Art Deco movement that flourished in the mid-1920s.  

Raphaël Delorme was a friend of the sculptor Alfred Janniot and was also close to the painters Jean Dupas and Jean Despujols whom he met at the Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux.