Gabrielle Montald (Canivet) (1867 - 1942)

Gabrielle Montald (Canivet)

Gabrielle Montald (Canivet) is a Belgian painter. Nothing is known of the artistic training of Canivet, obviously a self-taught artist. On August 9, 1892, Canivet married Constant Montald in Ghent. At that time, Montald was already a renowned painter who won several prizes with his canvases and murals. Unlike Montald, Canivet painted on silk and exhibited only briefly, between 1906 and 1934. Her presence in the art world was rather limited and she was invariably linked to her husband. Canivet knew different materials and techniques such as textiles, pencil, book binding and painting on silk and ceramics. She is known for her paintings on fabric, which she transforms into clothing accessories, but at the same time she also paints porcelain dishes. Mainly during the First World War, she worked on a series of ornamental fish, mushrooms and birds on silk, according to a process known only to her and which allows the fabric to retain all its flexibility. His compositions often include exotic flowers and a snail, which is almost his signature. Symbolism and Art Nouveau, which reached their peak at the end of the century, had a major influence on the conception of his work. His style therefore presents similarities with the idealistic aspirations of the art of the time.