Erotica. The 7 deadly sins. André Lambert

André Lambert was born in 1884 into a family of architects. He became the student of H. Van Habermann in Munich and then of Cormon in Paris; he was influenced by Beardsley who he lauded as one of the greatest illustrators of the 20th century. His knowledge of the antique world, and his artistic training gave birth to the particularly intimate style which would become his own. After several years spent in Germany during which he collaborated on the review Simplicissimus, he moved to Paris. In 1919, he founded the review Janus, with Georges Aubault, which was written entirely in Latin. His friend Emile Bernard participated in the illustrations. Having grown weary of the atmosphere in Montmartre, he left the banks of the Seine and after a visit to Spain moved there in 1920. The country became his refuge and his source of inspiration. The bibliophile Latinist expressed all his creativity in illustrating the classics, such as Ovid and Petronius. André Lambert devoted his days, in his studio in front of his printing press, to the search for a perfect form of illustration, the creation of a clear form, emphasising the value of the antique legends and mythology. Between two translations, he travelled the countryside, sketching the villagers and the landscapes. His talent as an engraver would become well known by other artist such as Gerda Wegener and Chimot. His watercolours representing young women, the series Sept Peches Capitaux, was realised in the 1920s in the spirit of Barbier, Lepape or Bruneslleschi, the school amongst the major artist-illustrators of the first half of the 20th century. André Lambert died in 1967.