Jean Delville (January 19, 1867 – January 19, 1953)

                                                                                                                                 

The Idol of Perversity

1891

Delville, for me, exudes the early 20th century unlike any other artist; and, incredibly, he began to do so from the anachronistic perch of the 19th. But it's not just a representation of a zeitgeist, presaged or not, that makes Delville great, but its his absolutely unique style that I could only define as one of hyper-sensuality (he was a Theosophist, though I never understood by that group was so lascivious in their arts). And it should go without saying that Delville died unappreciated, and has only recently undergone a revival, reevaluation, recognition or whatever you'd like to call the perverse act of recognizing an artist after the comfort of a half-century's repose, at which time an artist's corpse can hardly restrain its excitement from all of the accolades.  

Satan's Treasures

1895

Orpheus

1893

The School of Silence

1929

Parsifal

1890

The Love of Souls

1900

Mysteriosa or Portrait of Mrs. Stuart Merrill

1892