by Mayor Christian Jeffroy and Ms. Jeanne Eliet Translated into English by Ms. Laetitia Groszman

V

40 YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP IN BRITTANY: PAINTER MACARIO VITALIS IN PLESTIN-LES-gRÈVES

(in the Côtes d’Armor Department) by Mayor Christian Jeffroy and Jeanne Eliet42 (Translated into English by Laetitia Groszman)

Figure 213. Portrait of Macario Vitalis (Collection of Eric Ledoigt, grandnephew of Camille Renault)

THE THRILL OF DISCOVERY

Macario Vitalis first discovered for himself the Brittany region, and more specifically the Trégor (an area located between Morlaix and Tréguier, on the northern coast of Brittany), around 1947. He was, by then, 49 years old and already an accomplished painter.

After spending some time at the artists’ residence Le Bateau–Lavoir and rubbing shoulders with the great Parisian painters of that time, he later joined artist patron Camille Renault’s circle of friends. For him, this was a time of productive artistic creation, as he was around artists of that era (Jacques Villon, Marcel Duchamp, Guillaume Apollinaire, Frantisek Kupka, Francis Picabia, Robert Delaunay, Roger de La Fresnaye, etc.). His best paintings, inspired from Cubism, date back to this time.

Figure 214. In 1925, Camille Renault opened a restaurant in Puteaux which became the meeting place for many artists and intellectuals. Macario Vitalis, Vue de Puteaux: restaurant Camille Renault (View of Puteaux: Restaurant Camille Renault), Oil on hardboard, undated, 146.5 X 106.5 cm (Collection of La Maison de Camille).

Figure 215. Macario Vitalis, Assemblée de onze personnages attablés dont Camille Renault (Assembly of eleven people sitting by a table including Camille Renault). Eleven people are depicted, as well as two dogs and one cat. Dimensions: 300cm x 199cm (Collection of La Maison de Camille)

He was in Paris when World War II broke out. As he was holding a Commonwealth of the Philippines, U.S.A. passport, he was arrested by the Germans and imprisoned at the Stalag 23 camp in Compiègne as early as 1942. This period, marked by solitude, hunger and idleness, would scar him for life.

Once he was released at the end of the war, he discovered the Brittany region and the village of Plestin-les-Grèves. How and why did he get here? There are several stories depicting this first trip, and all of them are somewhat incredible. But it does not matter. What matters is that he immediately fell in love with the Trégor area. The mild climate, the beautiful landscapes and the simple and hospitable people contrasted with the hardships he went through before and appealed to him in an instant. He came back several times at the end of the 1940s, before settling in permanently in the early 1950s.

Figure 216. Vitalis at his studio at Camille Renault’s place (Collection of Eric Ledoigt)

A PLAIN LIFE

In Plestin-les-Grèves, after the end of the war, rural life was predominant, along with its old traditions. The Breton language was still widely spoken. Means of communication had yet to be developed. Electricity was still rare in the country side, and it took more than ten hours to reach Paris by train. Very few foreigners would come (except for the English, who could come by crossing the Channel).

The inhabitants of Plestin-les-Grèves were cautious when Macario Vitalis first arrived. He could barely speak French, had no money, and was at first “seen as a penniless Bohemian, rather than an artist”.

But he was welcomed with the means of that time—first with a tent for him to sleep in, then in a small house without much material comfort. He kept on painting, as he felt impressed by the beauty of the coasts, of the sea and by the unique lighting of the region. He often went fishing, in order to put food on his plate, but he would also trade his paintings for food.

Slowly but surely, the inhabitants got to know him better. They discovered and appreciated his art. His style changed as well and he adopted neo-impressionist and often pointillist features. Blue tones were predominant, and his skies were streaked with pink and yellow. He painted happy landscapes, which were often set in the spring. He did not depict the storms we get on our shores but rather the welcoming and warm sea. He liked to make portraits of his friends and of typical characters (such as “the fishmonger” and “the fortune teller”), with women in traditional outfits. He was also inspired by religious subjects, and would paint several variations on traditional themes of that time, such as the Crucifixion or the Virgin and Child.

Figure 217. Vitalis Painting at the Plestin-les-Grèves Townhall

AN HONORARY CITIZEN

From the 1960s onwards, Vitalis kept blending in more and more. He became friends with many inhabitants of Plestin-les-Grèves, including the Daniels, who often included him in their family’s everyday life. His ties with the population became stronger and stronger. He loved being invited at other people’s houses and would go as far as giving drawing lessons to the local schoolchildren. His paintings started becoming famous and being sold—restaurants and hotels would buy them to decorate their premises and, in 1968, the city hall ordered two large frescoes from him, which would depict the landscapes and monuments of the village. In 1975, he was made an “honorary citizen of the city of Plestin-les-Grèves”.

He went back to the Philippines in 1963, but he missed the tranquility and the freedom he felt in his Plestin home. He went back to Plestin as the art world and international critics started to discover him.

In June 1982, a team of journalists came to interview him in Plestin, with a view to producing a documentary film that would later be shown in the Philippines. This movie widely contributed to his fame in his country. On that same year, a great party was organized in Plestin to celebrate his 84th birthday, in the presence of the Ambassador of the Philippines. His friend Lucien Prigent, a sculptor from a nearby village in the Trégor area, carved his bust in wood and gave it to him as a present.

Figure 218. Vitalis sculpture by Lucien Prigent

Figure 219. Postcard sent by Claude Tayag to a family friend sharing his sketch of Vitalis during his first meeting with the painter on 2 November 1979 in Plestin-les-Grèves, France.

In 1984, his first great exhibition was organized in Plestin, with the support of the Philippine Embassy. It was followed by another one in Manila in 1986, and later in 1987 and 1988.

But Macario Vitalis finally left Plestin-les-Grèves in June 1986, as he understood that due to his old age, it would be more reasonable for him to be closer to his family and his country. He died in the Philippines three years later.

Figure 220. Vitalis Portrait by Wig Tysman, 1986 (Courtesy of Claude Tayag)

Today, many residents of Plestin-les-Grèves fondly remember Macario Vitalis, an unusual character who has been part of their everyday life for almost 38 years. When asked about him, they will talk about his love for life, his generosity, about when he would sell a painting, about the meals with good wine that they shared and which he loved to cook himself, and about the friendly evenings they spent together.

In July 2016, the town wanted to celebrate both the time this great painter spent in Plestin-les-Grèves and the friendship the population showed him—a retrospective entitled “Macario Vitalis, les années Plestin (1946-1984)” (Macario Vitalis, the Plestin years (1946–1984) was thus organized. Some fifty paintings were quickly identified amongst the possessions of the inhabitants, who spontaneously volunteered to lend them and share their memories and anecdotes about the life of Vitalis.

The Embassy of the Philippines honored this event with the presence of the Ambassador and the Consul.

Macario Vitalis is still alive in the hearts of the inhabitants of Plestin-les-Greves. You only have to enter the city hall to find his presence there: the two large frescos he painted can be found in the wedding hall and, further away, two other paintings of his can be seen, including the wonderful portrait of a young girl in traditional costume. Finally, the bust of Macario Vitalis watches over the town with his mischievous look from a very good spot: the office of the mayor himself.