Procession or Pardon at Perros-Guirec

1891

Maurice Denis

(French, 1870–1943)

Culture

France

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

Unframed: 55.9 x 46.4 cm (22 x 18 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift 2020.108

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

A pardon is a ceremony that occurs on the feast of the patron saint of a church often followed by a procession.

Description

One of the leading artists of a group called the Nabis ("Prophets"), Denis rejected naturalism and materialism out of desire to return spirituality to art. His imaginative compositions emphasize flat, decorative shapes and abstract colors. This painting depicts an annual procession in a small village in Brittany held on the feast day of Saint-Jacques. Young women dressed in white lead the procession; they are followed by married women wearing black and carrying a religious icon.