Chartres is a city, some sixty miles west of Paris, that we have visited a number of times and we were there again this summer. It is a busy vibrant place and known the world over for its magnificent gothic cathedral, Notre Dame de Chartres. Like many buildings of the time its predecessor was consumed by fire at the end of the twelfth century. The current masterpiece appeared over the next hundred years funded by donations from all over Europe. It is regarded as the high point of French gothic art. The attraction for pilgrims in medieval times was the Sancta Camisa, a relic purported to be the tunic worn by the Virgin Mary at the birth of Christ.

On this occasion the cathedral was not the main reason for our visit. It was the Musée des Beaux Arts, which had been closed on our previous trips. Set in the Bishop’s Palace to the east of the cathedral it has a fine permanent collection typical if any provincial town or city in Europe. Set out chronologically there are exhibits from early Renaissance to the current century. Of the earlier works I was taken by a set of twelve images of the apostles of Christ. Les douze Apôtres is a set of enamel paintings on copper by Léonard Limosin from 1547. To me, though, the highlight was the modern collection, and particularly a collection of works by Maurice de Vlaminck.

Maurice de Vlaminck (1876-1958) was one of those lesser known French artists who nonetheless made a great contribution to the post – impressionist world. He was based mainly around Paris, never travelling far and set up later in life at Rueil-La-Gadelière near Chartres. Hence the number of his works on display here. His early career was influenced by the impressionists but he particularly liked the boldness of colour of Van Goch’s later works. When he saw his paintings, he said, ‘I loved Van Gogh that day more than my own father’. In 1899 he had a chance meeting with André Derain on a train that changed the course of  the post impressionist world. 

Together with Derain and Henri Matisse they co-founded the movement which became known as Fauvism. Already know for their anarchist views their art was identified by strong colours and extravagant representation. Their name was given to them by the critic Vauxcelles at the 1905 Salon d’Automne. Seeing these works in the same room as a Renaissance-style sculpture by Albert Margue he described the scene as  ‘Donatello chez les Fauves’ or Donatello among the wild beasts.

Cézanne clearly also influenced Maurice de Vlaminck as seen in his exquisite Nature morte au panier de fruits, Still life with Basket of Fruit from 1910. In later life he became embittered that Fauvism’s light shone very briefly and blamed Pablo Picasso and George’s Braques, claiming that their cubism project ‘brought French painting to a dead end’

They were interesting times in the modern history of French art! I believe much modern contemporary owes much to the Fauves. So there is much to see in Chartres as well as to eat and drink in the various bars and restaurants.