Luigi Moretti (1884-1950) "Le Ciel et L'enfer" (Heaven and hell) oil on board

Luigi Moretti (1884-1950)

"Le Ciel et l'Enfer" cabaret
Circa 1930.
Oil on board.
With frame 34.5cm 28.5cm
Without frame 29.5cm 23.5cm

Moretti is an italian painter, specialized in venetian landscapes. He also worked in Paris and exhibited at "Salon des Artistes Français" and "salon des indépendants". As he does so well for his paintings of Venice, Luigi Moretti manages in our work to capture the light and the contrasts of the night. He draws a striking parallel with the theme of the Cabaret he represents. A fascinating work full of symbols.


Cabaret de l'Enfer (The Cabaret of Hell) was a famous cabaret in Montmartre, founded in November 1892 by Antonin Alexander and demolished in 1950 to allow for the expansion of a Monoprix supermarket. The Cabaret de L'Enfer was the counterpart to The Cabaret du Ciel (The Cabaret of Heaven), another cabaret which shared the same address on the Boulevard de Clichy. Antonin Alexander was the creator, director, and host of the twin ventures.


Jules Claretie, who wrote that future historians of the mores of the Belle Epoque "could not silently pass by these cabarets", described them as "putting Dante's poem within walking distance". For Georges Renault and Henri Château, "Le Ciel and L'Enfer, gaping wide-open all in a row" was worthy of the label "spectacular". The flâneurs of Paris entered through the monumental jaws of Leviathan, devourer of the damned. The intimidating façade was "a stucco ode to female nudity being devoured by infernal flames".



Many more informations on wikipedia. Click here.

REFERENCE: lu0810-1
sold 03 2021 (UK)
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