Wiki English
Wiki EnglishWiki DeutschWiki Nederlands

Artist Sem

Georges Goursat ((1863-11-23)23 November 1863 – (1934-11-26)26 November 1934), known as Sem, was a French caricaturist famous during the Belle Époque.

Georges Goursat
Artist Sem
Born(1863-11-23)23 November 1863
Périgueux
Died26 November 1934(1934-11-26) (aged 71)
Paris
NationalityFrench
Other namesSem
Occupationartist
Known forcaricatures, posters

Life and works

Youth (1863–1900)

Artist Sem 
Self portrait (1888) (signed as "SEM")
Artist Sem 
Goursat's first poster (1891) for the singer Paulus
Artist Sem 
First caricatures in Le Rire (1897).
Artist Sem 
Caricature of various individuals playing roulette by Sem, 1920

Georges Goursat was born and raised in an upper-middle-class family from Périgueux. The wealth inherited from his father at the age of 21 allowed him to sustain a gilded youth.

In 1888 he self-published his first three albums of caricatures in Périgueux, signing some as "SEM", allegedly as a tribute to Amédée de Noé who signed his caricatures for Le Monde illustré as "Cham".

He settled in Bordeaux from 1890 to 1898. During this period, he published more albums and his first press caricatures in La Petite Gironde and discovered the work of Leonetto Cappiello. His style matured, becoming both simpler and more precise.

During the same period, he made trips to Paris. In 1891, he designed two posters printed in Jules Chéret's workshop for the singer Paulus. He published his first caricatures of artists in L'Illustration (Albert Brasseur) and Le Rire (Paulus, Polin and Yvette Guilbert).

Goursat lived in Marseille from 1898 to 1900, where he met Jean Lorrain who convinced him to live in Paris.

Artist Sem 
Caricature women on a boat being sailed by a sailor by Sem, 1925

Belle Époque (1900–1914)

Goursat arrived in Paris in March 1900 at the time of the Universal Exposition opening.

He chose horse racing as a way to enter high society. In June 1900 he self-published his new album Le Turf of caricatures of many prominent Parisian socialites, including Marquess Boni de Castellane, Prince Trubetskoy, Count Clermont-Tonnerre, Baron Alphonse, Gustave de Rothschild, and Polaire. The album's success made him famous overnight. In October 1900 he published the album Paris-Trouville with equal success. Goursat published nine other albums before 1913.

In 1904, Goursat received the Légion d'honneur. In 1909, he exhibited with the painter Auguste Roubille, first in Paris and then in Monte Carlo and London. The exhibit included a diorama composed of hundreds of wooden figurines "of all the merely Paris celebrities".

World War I (1914–1918)

Goursat was not drafted in World War I as he was over 50 years old at the start of the war. He nevertheless involved himself as a war correspondent for Le Journal. Some of his rather "chauvinistic" articles had an "enormous impact". Ten articles were published in 1917 in Un pékin sur le front. Two other articles were incorporated in the 1923 book La Ronde de Nuit. In 1916 and 1918 Goursat published two albums of Croquis de Guerre (War Sketches) with a completely different style than his previous work. He also designed war bond posters.

Années Folles (1918–1934)

After the war, Goursat returned to the kind of caricatures that made him famous. In 1919, he published Le Grand Monde à l'envers (High Society Upside Down). Around 1923, he published three albums under the general title of Le Nouveau Monde (transl. The New World). In 1923, he became an officer of the Légion d'honneur.

In 1929, he was severely impoverished by the economic crisis. After a heart attack in 1933, he died in 1934.

Personalities caricatured by Goursat

Name, surname Occupation Image
Alexandrovich, Vladimir Socialite Artist Sem 
Annunzio, Gabriele d' Writer Artist Sem 
Astruc, Gabriel Impresario Artist Sem 
Balthy, Louise [fr] Actress Artist Sem 
Bennett, Gordon Publisher Artist Sem  Artist Sem 
Blanc, Edmond Politician Artist Sem 
Blériot, Louis Aviator Artist Sem 
Boldini, Giovanni Painter Artist Sem  Artist Sem 
Borbon, Alfonso de King Artist Sem 
Brasseur, Albert Actor Artist Sem  Artist Sem 
Brieux, Eugène Writer Artist Sem 
Capel, Arthur "Boy" Polo player Artist Sem 
Cappiello, Leonetto Poster artist Artist Sem 
Capus, Alfred Writer Artist Sem 
Castellane, Boni de Socialite Artist Sem  Artist Sem 
Chanel, Coco Designer Artist Sem  Artist Sem 
Colette, Sidonie-Gabrielle Writer Artist Sem 
Croisset, Francis de Dramatist Artist Sem 
Deval, Marguerite Singer Artist Sem 
Donnay, Maurice Dramatist Artist Sem  Artist Sem 
Doumer, Paul President Artist Sem 
Ephrussi, Maurice Financier Artist Sem 
Feydeau, Georges Writer Artist Sem 
Forain, Jean-Louis Painter Artist Sem 
Fursy, Henri Variety singer Artist Sem 
Gauthier-Villars, Henry Writer Artist Sem 
Guitry, Lucien Actor Artist Sem  Artist Sem  Artist Sem 
Guitry, Sacha Actor Artist Sem 
Guyon, Charles-Alexandre [fr] Actor Artist Sem 
Hahn, Reynaldo Composer Artist Sem 
Adien Hébrard [fr] Journalist Artist Sem 
Helleu, Paul Painter Artist Sem 
Hervieu, Paul Dramatist Artist Sem 
Humbert, Charles Senator Artist Sem 
Lambert, Charles de Aviator Artist Sem 
Lafitte, Pierre [fr] Publisher Artist Sem 
Latham, Hubert Aviator Artist Sem 
Lavallière, Ève Actress Artist Sem  Artist Sem 
Letellier, Henri [fr] Publisher Artist Sem 
Lorrain, Jean Writer Artist Sem  Artist Sem  Artist Sem  Artist Sem 
Massenet, Jules Composer Artist Sem 
Mendès, Catulle Writer Artist Sem 
Mérode, Cléo de Dancer Artist Sem  Artist Sem  Artist Sem 
Montesquiou, Robert de Poet Artist Sem  Artist Sem  Artist Sem  Artist Sem  Artist Sem 
Morand, Paul Writer Artist Sem 
Noailles, Anna de Writer Artist Sem  Artist Sem 
Noailles, Emmanuel de Diplomat Artist Sem 
Pahlavi, Reza Shah Artist Sem 
Paquin, Jeanne Designer Artist Sem 
Pierpont Morgan, John Financier Artist Sem 
Poiré, Emmanuel (Caran d'Ache) Cartoonist Artist Sem 
Polaire Actress Artist Sem  Artist Sem  Artist Sem 
Porto-Riche, Georges de Writer Artist Sem 
Pougy, Liane de Dancer Artist Sem 
Puccini, Giacomo Composer Artist Sem 
Rostand, Edmond Dramatist Artist Sem  Artist Sem 
Rostand, Maurice Writer Artist Sem 
Rougier, Henri Aviator Artist Sem 
Santos-Dumont, Alberto Aviator Artist Sem  Artist Sem  Artist Sem 
Sardou, Victorien Dramatist Artist Sem 
Vionnet, Madeleine Designer Artist Sem 
Wall, Berry Socialite Artist Sem 

References

Artist Sem 
Wiki Commons has media related to Georges Goursat.

Bibliography

  • Bonnelle, Madeleine; Meneret, Marie-José (1979). SEM (in French). Périgueux: Pierre Fanlac. ISBN 2-86577-144-X.
  • Dini, Francesca (2006). Boldini, Helleu, Sem : protagonisti e miti della Belle Epoque (in Italian). Skira.

Tags:

Artist Sem Life and worksArtist Sem Personalities caricatured by GoursatArtist Sem ImagesArtist Sem BibliographyArtist Sem

🔥 Trending searches on Wiki English:

Elizabeth IIList of constituencies of the Lok SabhaC (programming language)BundesligaEuropeCarlo AncelottiSingaporeThe Zone of Interest (film)The Contestant (2023 film)LondonPremier LeagueArnold SchwarzeneggerTikTokAlia Bhatt2024 London mayoral electionSara KeaysAbigail (2024 film)2019 Indian general electionGeneration XRentAHitman.comHeeramandiNaughty AmericaThe Circle (American TV series) season 6ThailandDavid Gilbert (snooker player)South KoreaNeanderthalDune (novel)HamasElizabeth IEdin Terzić (footballer)Conan O'BrienInstagramMarilyn MonroeWikipediaRoad House (2024 film)PakistanPremaluHeera MandiA. V. RamananLuka DončićManchester City F.C.Ella PurnellCleopatraItalyJerry SeinfeldRicha ChadhaWordleMatthew McConaugheyWorld Snooker ChampionshipKaiserganj Lok Sabha constituencyPaul AusterMontserrat2024 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly electionDwayne JohnsonStephen CurryRoad House (1989 film)In the Land of Saints and SinnersJon Bon JoviOutlook.comPeriodic tableDeath in Paradise (TV series)Albert EinsteinMary & GeorgeLinkedInMiriam Rivera2024 NBA playoffsWe Were the Lucky OnesArthur the KingBill AckmanBangladeshDan SchneiderYouTube headquarters shootingMark WahlbergFloyd Mayweather Jr.Shah Rukh KhanOscar De La Hoya🡆 More