# Nabi aestheticism

Nabi art is mystically inspired. To renew sacred art, Nabis artists such as Maurice Denis, Paul Sérusier and Paul-Élie Ranson drew inspiration from ancient Egyptian art, medieval art, the "primitives" and Byzantine art.

The artists cultivated the primitive simplification of forms initiated by Paul Gauguin. For them, the "primitive arts" were synonymous with original purity, hence the raw aspect recurrent in the works of the Nabis, particularly in Lacombe's sculpture. The Nabis were also influenced by the Beunon school of sacred art in Germany, where religious aesthetics, including that of ancient Egypt, were taught.

The Nabi aesthetic, embodied by the group formed in 1888, is distinguished by its mystical character and its rejection of established artistic trends such as realism and impressionism. Georges Lacombe, the only sculptor affiliated with the movement and nicknamed the "Nabi sculptor", played a particular role in this artistic approach. Inspired by symbolism, the Nabis expressed abstract ideas and emotions through the use of symbols, metaphors and allegories, in opposition to academic formalism.

The duality in Lacombe's art manifests itself in a realistic representation of nature combined with an aspiration to a philosophical and literary reality imbued with esotericism and mysticism. His lack of traditional academic training, which led him to learn woodworking from his cabinetmaker father, reinforces this independent, innovative approach. The use of materials such as wood, stone and marble evokes a desire to return to ancient sculptural practices, contributing to the evolution of primitivism at the turn of the twentieth century.

In short, the Nabi aesthetic is distinguished by its mystical commitment, its search for inspiration in a variety of sources, and its desire to renew sacred art through an innovative and symbolic approach.