1 - Louis AZÉMA (Agde, 1876–Montmorency, 1963)

Louis AZÉMA (Agde, 1876–Montmorency, 1963) The Assassination of Henry III by Jacques Clément on August 1, 1589, in Saint-Cloud. Oil on canvas (restored). Stamp on the back from Maison Blanchet, canvas manufacturer since 1834. H. 215 x W. 176 cm. Exhibition Salon des Artistes Français, 1913, entry no. 59, illustrated in the Salon catalog on p. 67. History The moment captured by the painter is when King Henry III, wounded while reading the letter handed to him by Jacques Clément, pulls the knife from his stomach and stabs the monk twice, shouting, “Ah, the villain—he has killed me!” Behind them come the bodyguards, who are about to slaughter the assassin. Exhibited in 1913, Louis Azéma presented a similar work at the following year’s Salon depicting the Assassination of the Duke of Guise, conceived as a pendant to the Assassination of King Henry III (under no. 74). Our painting is featured in the special issue of *Revues Nouvelles* devoted to the 1913 Salons (pp. 12–13): “Gloomy, impressive, terrifying, yet compelling—such is the work of Mr. Louis Azéma. It is a page of history, and by no means the least fascinating: The Assassination of Henry III by Jacques Clément on August 1, 1589, at Saint-Cloud. Such is the tragic subject that the young artist has depicted on a grand scale, and it can be said that he has risen to the challenge; he grapples with his subject through fear and horror: “The king, his side torn open, staggers, his gaze filled with terror, while his skull is split open and a monk kneels in prostration. In the distance… there is a riot… there is a massacre. In the poses of the figures, Mr. L. Azema has displayed a compositional imagination reminiscent of G. Doré. The most unexpected poses and the most violent contortions are in no way surprising given the young artist’s boldness. Such ease, such richness, such power; he displays in his painting—and the visitor, at first astonished, then intrigued, lingers for a long moment to reflect on the death of Henry III."