Jules Tavernier stands as a fascinating figure in nineteenth-century art, a painter whose life and work bridged continents and cultures. Born in France, his artistic journey took him from the established art scene of Paris to the rugged landscapes of the American West, and finally to the dramatic, fiery vistas of Hawaii. He became a pivotal artist in chronicling these diverse environments, leaving behind a legacy of striking imagery, particularly his renowned depictions of volcanic activity, which cemented his place as a leading figure of the Volcano School in Hawaii. This exploration delves into the life, career, artistic evolution, and enduring impact of Jules Tavernier, an artist driven by a restless spirit and a profound connection to the natural world.
Early Life and Artistic Formation in Paris
Jules Tavernier was born in Paris on April 27, 1844. His parentage was a blend of cultures, with an English father and a French mother, a background that perhaps sowed the seeds for his later international travels and adaptability. Growing up in Paris, the epicenter of the art world at the time, Tavernier was immersed in a rich artistic environment from a young age. His formal artistic training commenced around the age of sixteen, when he entered the esteemed studio of Félix Joseph Barrias.
Barrias (1822-1907) was a respected academic painter, known for his historical scenes, religious subjects, and portraits, as well as decorative murals. Under Barrias, Tavernier would have received a rigorous classical training, mastering draftsmanship, anatomy, composition, and the techniques of oil painting. This academic foundation provided him with the technical skills that would underpin his diverse body of work throughout his career. The influence of the Barbizon School, with painters like Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Jean-François Millet, and Théodore Rousseau championing realism and plein air painting, was also pervasive in France at this time and likely informed Tavernier's developing interest in landscape.
Tavernier's talent began to gain recognition early on. In 1864, at the age of twenty, he made his debut at the prestigious Paris Salon, the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts. Exhibiting at the Salon was a significant milestone for any young artist, signifying a level of professional achievement and providing crucial exposure. He continued to exhibit there in subsequent years, further establishing his presence within the competitive Parisian art scene. His early works from this period likely reflected the prevailing academic and realist trends of French painting.
The Call of the New World: Journey to America
The trajectory of Tavernier's life and career took a dramatic turn with the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. Like many of his compatriots, Tavernier served in the French army during the conflict. The war and its aftermath, including the fall of the Second Empire and the turmoil of the Paris Commune, created an unstable environment in France. Following the war, Tavernier made the decision to leave his homeland.
Leveraging his father's British nationality, he initially moved to London. There, he began to work as an illustrator, a skill that would prove invaluable in his subsequent American adventures. However, his stay in London was relatively brief. The allure of the New World, with its promise of adventure and new artistic subjects, beckoned.
In 1871, Jules Tavernier, alongside fellow French artist Paul Frenzeny, embarked on a journey to the United States. This transcontinental expedition was commissioned by Harper's Weekly, one of America's leading illustrated magazines at the time. Their assignment was to travel across the American West, from east to west, documenting the landscapes, peoples, and burgeoning settlements for the magazine's wide readership. This was a period of significant westward expansion in the United States, and illustrations provided a vital visual connection for those in the East to the realities and myths of the frontier.
Their journey was an arduous one, often undertaken on horseback. Starting from New York, they made their way through various territories, including stops in Denver, Colorado, and across the plains and mountains, eventually reaching San Francisco. Along the way, Tavernier and Frenzeny diligently sketched the scenes they encountered: vast prairies, dramatic mountain ranges, Native American communities, frontier towns, and the daily life of settlers and pioneers. These sketches formed the basis for wood engravings published in Harper's Weekly, offering a vivid pictorial narrative of the American West. This experience profoundly shaped Tavernier's artistic vision, exposing him to landscapes and cultures vastly different from those of Europe.
California Years: Art, Bohemia, and Cultural Encounters
Jules Tavernier arrived in San Francisco in 1874, and the city quickly became his new artistic base. California, with its stunning natural beauty and burgeoning cultural scene, offered fertile ground for an artist of his talents and adventurous spirit. He became an active and prominent member of the local art community.
A significant aspect of his life in San Francisco was his involvement with the Bohemian Club. Founded in 1872, the Bohemian Club was a private association of gentlemen with interests in literature, art, music, and drama. Tavernier joined the club, finding camaraderie and patronage among its influential members. The club provided a stimulating environment where artists, writers, and patrons could mingle, exchange ideas, and collaborate. Other notable California artists of the era, such as William Keith and Thomas Hill, were also associated with the artistic circles of San Francisco, contributing to a vibrant creative milieu.
During his California period, Tavernier continued to paint landscapes, drawing inspiration from the diverse scenery of the state, from its coastal regions to its majestic mountains. He also developed a keen interest in depicting Native American cultures. One of his most significant works from this period is Dance in a Subterranean Roundhouse at Clear Lake, California, completed in 1878. This large and ambitious painting was commissioned by the San Francisco banker Tiburcio Parrott.
The painting depicts a ceremonial dance of the Elem Pomo people in their traditional underground roundhouse. Tavernier spent considerable time with the Elem Pomo community, observing their customs and sketching their way of life. The resulting artwork is noted for its detailed rendering of the figures, their attire, the atmospheric lighting of the roundhouse interior, and its attempt to capture the spiritual intensity of the ceremony. While, like many depictions of Native Americans by European and American artists of the time, it can be viewed through a complex lens of colonial encounters, the painting is also recognized for its ethnographic interest and Tavernier's effort to document a culture undergoing profound change. Another notable work reflecting this interest is Indian Village (1878).
Tavernier also spent time in the burgeoning art colony of Monterey, south of San Francisco. Here, he reportedly shared a studio with artists like Julian Rix and Joseph Dwight Strong, the latter also a fellow Bohemian Club member. Monterey, with its picturesque coastline and historic adobes, attracted many artists. It was in Monterey that Tavernier received a mural commission from a friend, Giuseppe Garibaldi (likely a local figure, not the Italian unifier). These years in California were artistically productive for Tavernier, allowing him to explore new subjects and solidify his reputation as a significant painter of the American West.
The Lure of the Volcanoes: Hawaii and the Volcano School
Despite his successes in California, Jules Tavernier's restless spirit eventually led him to another, even more exotic destination: the Hawaiian Islands. In 1884 (some sources suggest an earlier arrival in 1882 with his family), he moved to Hawaii, settling in Honolulu. It was here that Tavernier found the subject matter that would define the most distinctive phase of his career: volcanoes.
The Hawaiian Islands, with their active volcanoes, particularly Kīlauea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island, offered unparalleled spectacles of natural power and sublime beauty. Tavernier became captivated by these fiery landscapes. He made numerous expeditions to the craters, often under challenging conditions, to witness and sketch the volcanic eruptions and lava flows firsthand. He would spend hours, sometimes days, observing the molten rock, the smoke, and the dramatic interplay of light and shadow.
His dedication to this subject matter led him to become one of the most important figures, if not a principal founder, of what became known as the "Volcano School." This group of artists, which also included figures like Charles Furneaux and later D. Howard Hitchcock, specialized in depicting Hawaii's volcanic scenery. Tavernier's paintings of volcanoes are characterized by their dramatic intensity, rich colors, and ability to convey both the awe-inspiring beauty and the terrifying power of these natural phenomena.
Among his most celebrated volcano paintings are Kilauea Caldera (c. 1885-1886), Volcano at Night (1880s), and Sunrise over Diamond Head (1888). Kilauea Caldera offers a panoramic view of the vast crater, often with glowing lava lakes and plumes of smoke, capturing the raw, primordial energy of the earth. Volcano at Night masterfully uses the contrast between the fiery reds and oranges of the molten lava and the deep blues and blacks of the night sky to create a scene of breathtaking drama. His works often featured small human figures near the crater rim, emphasizing the immense scale and overwhelming power of nature.
In 1887, he famously undertook an arduous horseback journey to the summit of Kīlauea to paint the volcano. His commitment to experiencing his subjects directly lent an authenticity and visceral power to his work. Tavernier's volcano paintings were highly sought after by both residents and tourists, and they played a significant role in shaping the popular image of Hawaii as a land of dramatic volcanic landscapes. His work from this period is considered the pinnacle of the Volcano School's output.
Artistic Style and Techniques
Jules Tavernier's artistic style evolved significantly throughout his career, shaped by his academic training, his experiences as an illustrator, and the diverse environments he inhabited. His early works in Paris would have adhered more closely to the academic and realist traditions prevalent in France, influenced by his teacher Félix Joseph Barrias and the broader Barbizon movement's emphasis on naturalism.
His work as an illustrator for Harper's Weekly honed his skills in observation, rapid sketching, and narrative composition. This experience likely contributed to the documentary quality found in some of his later paintings, particularly his depictions of Native American life and Western scenes. He developed an ability to capture the essence of a scene and its human elements with clarity and vivacity.
In California, his style matured. His landscapes showed a sensitivity to the unique light and atmosphere of the American West. In paintings like Dance in a Subterranean Roundhouse at Clear Lake, California, he demonstrated his skill in handling complex figural compositions, dramatic lighting (chiaroscuro), and the rendering of textures and cultural details. There's a romantic sensibility in his Western works, a fascination with the "exotic" and the untamed.
It was in Hawaii, however, that Tavernier's style found its most distinctive expression. His volcano paintings are characterized by a bold use of color, particularly the fiery reds, oranges, and yellows of molten lava, contrasted with the deep blues, purples, and blacks of the volcanic rock and night sky. He masterfully captured the play of light from the eruptions, the glow of the lava, and the atmospheric effects of smoke and steam. His compositions are often dramatic and awe-inspiring, emphasizing the sublime power of nature. While rooted in observation, these works also possess a romantic and almost visionary quality.
Tavernier was proficient in several media. While he is best known for his oil paintings, he also worked in watercolor and pastel. His pastels, in particular, allowed for a softness and luminosity that suited certain subjects. His technical skill, developed through his rigorous French training, is evident in the confident brushwork, strong drawing, and sophisticated compositions found throughout his oeuvre. He had a keen eye for detail but also an ability to convey grand, sweeping vistas.
Notable Contemporaries and Influences
Throughout his career, Jules Tavernier interacted with and was influenced by a variety of artists. His foundational influence was his teacher, Félix Joseph Barrias, who instilled in him the principles of academic painting. The broader artistic currents in Paris, including the Barbizon School painters like Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Jean-François Millet, and Théodore Rousseau, with their emphasis on realism and landscape, undoubtedly shaped his early artistic sensibilities.
During his travels for Harper's Weekly, his primary artistic companion was Paul Frenzeny. Their collaboration was crucial during this formative period in America. In San Francisco, Tavernier was part of a vibrant artistic community. He associated with Joseph Dwight Strong, a fellow painter and Bohemian Club member, and Julian Rix, with whom he reportedly shared a studio in Monterey. The artistic environment in California also included prominent landscape painters like Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran, whose grand depictions of the American West set a high bar for landscape art, though Tavernier's focus often included more intimate cultural scenes. Other significant California artists of the time included William Keith and Thomas Hill, known for their majestic paintings of Yosemite and other Western landscapes.
In Hawaii, Tavernier became a leading figure in the Volcano School. He worked alongside and influenced other artists who were drawn to the dramatic subject of Hawaii's volcanoes. Key among these were Charles Furneaux, an English artist who also specialized in volcano scenes, and D. Howard Hitchcock, a Hawaiian-born artist who became one of the most celebrated painters of the islands, carrying the tradition of volcano painting into the 20th century. While not strictly a "Volcano School" painter in the same vein, the adventurous British traveler and artist Constance Gordon-Cumming also depicted Hawaiian volcanoes around the same period, contributing to the visual record of these natural wonders. Tavernier's powerful and dramatic volcano paintings set a standard and inspired many who followed.
Critical Reception and Personal Challenges
Jules Tavernier achieved considerable recognition during his lifetime, particularly in California and Hawaii. He was regarded as one of the most talented artists in San Francisco during the 1870s and early 1880s. His paintings, especially ambitious works like Dance in a Subterranean Roundhouse at Clear Lake, California, were exhibited and discussed. His skill and adventurous spirit were admired by his peers and patrons.
In Hawaii, his volcano paintings were immensely popular and established him as the preeminent artist of the Volcano School. His ability to capture the sublime and terrifying beauty of the eruptions resonated with the public's fascination with these natural spectacles. His works were acquired by prominent residents and visitors, and they helped to define the visual identity of Hawaii for an international audience.
However, Tavernier's career and life were not without their complexities and challenges. Some modern critical perspectives on his depictions of Native American cultures, while acknowledging his attempts at ethnographic detail, also consider the inherent power dynamics and potential for romanticization or misrepresentation common in art of that colonial period. For instance, some of his illustrations for Harper's Weekly were criticized even in their time for potentially exaggerating certain aspects of Native American life, which could have contributed to prevailing negative stereotypes.
On a personal level, Tavernier reportedly struggled with alcoholism and financial difficulties. Despite his artistic success and the demand for his work, he often found himself in debt. These personal challenges undoubtedly took a toll on his health and well-being. Nevertheless, he was described by those who knew him as a charismatic and convivial figure, well-liked within the Bohemian Club and other social circles. His life, much like his art, was marked by a certain romantic, bohemian spirit, but also by the very real struggles of an artist trying to make his way in a changing world.
Legacy and Enduring Impact
Jules Tavernier died relatively young, on May 18, 1889, in Honolulu, Hawaii, at the age of 45. Despite his premature death, he left behind a significant body of work and an enduring artistic legacy. His paintings are valued not only for their artistic merit but also as historical documents, offering insights into the landscapes, cultures, and events of the places he depicted.
His works are held in the collections of numerous prestigious museums and institutions. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York notably acquired his masterpiece, Dance in a Subterranean Roundhouse at Clear Lake, California, a painting that was thought lost for many years before its rediscovery. Other institutions with Tavernier's works include the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento (which has organized major exhibitions of his work), the Brigham Young University Museum of Art, the Hearst Art Gallery at Saint Mary's College of California, the Oakland Museum of California, the Honolulu Museum of Art, the Sheldon Museum of Art (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), and the Stark Museum of Art in Orange, Texas.
Tavernier's most distinctive contribution to art history is arguably his role in the Hawaiian Volcano School. His dramatic and evocative paintings of Kīlauea and Mauna Loa remain iconic representations of these natural wonders and are considered among the finest examples of this unique genre of landscape painting. He set a high standard for subsequent artists depicting Hawaii's volcanoes.
Beyond Hawaii, his work in the American West, including his illustrations for Harper's Weekly and his paintings of Native American life, contribute to the broader visual narrative of 19th-century America. They reflect the era's fascination with the frontier, the encounters between different cultures, and the dramatic transformation of the continent.
Conclusion: A Fiery Spirit in Art
Jules Tavernier's life was a remarkable odyssey, a journey from the heart of European artistic tradition to the raw, untamed frontiers of America and the Pacific. A technically skilled painter with a romantic sensibility and an adventurous heart, he embraced the diverse landscapes and cultures he encountered, translating them into compelling and often breathtaking works of art. From the salons of Paris to the roundhouses of California and the fiery craters of Hawaii, Tavernier left an indelible mark. His paintings, particularly his iconic depictions of volcanic eruptions, continue to captivate audiences with their dramatic power and vivid portrayal of nature's sublime forces. He remains a significant, if sometimes overlooked, figure in the rich tapestry of 19th-century art, an artist whose fiery spirit found its ultimate expression in the equally fiery landscapes he so masterfully depicted.
