Fellows Seminar - At the limits of science: the visionary drawings of Théophile Bra
Théophile Bra, Des cataclysmes, 1826-1855, encre sur papier, 35,5 x 23 cm, Douai, Bibliothèque Marceline Desbordes-Valmore © photo Julie Ramos
By Julie Ramos, 2022 Fellow (Art, Civilisation and History of Europe (ARCHE), University of Strasbourg, France)
The graphic work of Théophile Bra (1797–1863) has, until now, been primarily associated with mediumistic and spiritualist art, and even with art brut —an association that stands in contrast to his solid academic training. This interpretive tendency is largely due to the fascination that scholars have had with his autobiographical account of the origins of his practice.
As of 1826, following a spiritual crisis provoked by the commission of a Christ on the Cross, this sculptor—highly regarded during the Restoration and the July Monarchy—began producing pen and pencil drawings, supposedly executed “under dictation.” These works juxtapose figurative and abstract forms with signs, words, phrases, and entire textual passages, inscribed in the margins, within the drawings themselves, or superimposed upon them.
Far from being an isolated endeavour, Bra’s artistic practice was shaped by his declared ambition to reconcile faith, science, and philosophy; he maintained contacts with contemporary scholars and was attentive to their writings. This conference will examine the ways in which Bra’s drawings function as a site of fascination, dialogue, and sometimes critique of early nineteenth-century knowledge systems.
- Read more about Julie Ramos and her USIAS project: The visionary drawing and its knowledge. Based on the study and valuation of Théophile Bra’s archive collection.
