Draft:Alexandre Raymond

Alexandre Raymond
Alexandre Marc Raymond, born on 22 January 1872 in Constantinople in Turkey and died on 16 May 1941 in Colombes in France, is a French Orientalist architect. After working in the field of Islamic art, he turned to Byzantine art. During the last twenty years of his life he undertook substantial work, in particular on Hagia Sophia (Αγία Σοφία).

Exhibitions

 * 1933, 10-30 juin, Vision féériques d’Orient (Fantasy Perspectives of the East), Paris, town hall of 13th districtNotes 1.
 * 1956, 26 May-June, Festival d’architecture et d’art monumental (Monument Architecture and Art Festival), Grand Palais, Paris. Exhibition of some originals from La Basilique de Sainte Sophie (Αγία Σοφία) de Constantinople (The Basilica of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople).
 * 1999, 2 September-9 October, Yapı Kredi Cultural Centre, exhibition space of the Sermet Çifter Library, İstiklál Cad. 285, Beyoğlu, Turkey. Exhibition of originals from L’Art Islamique en Orient 1,2 et 3 (Islamic Art in the East 1, 2 and 3).
 * 2021-2022 Cornucopia magazine n°63 and 64 AND THE REVIEW Dayli Sabah talks about the exhibition at the Péra Museum – November 2021 – March 2022 – of several of his originals concerning Ayia-Sophia, Theodora and Constantinople (Istanbul). https://www.cornucopia.net/events/from-istanbul-to-byzantium/ https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/events/from-istanbul-to-byzantium-rediscovery-of-byzantine-heritage  https://www.peramuseum.org/exhibition/from-istanbul-to-byzantium/1284

Biography
Early life Alexandre Marc Raymond was born on 22 January 1872 in Constantinople, in Turkey, at the time part of the Ottoman Empire. He was the son of Marc Raymond, architect, born in Constantinople in 1846, and Rose Valsamaki, Greek Orthodox, born in Cephalonia. As Alexandre was the eldest boy in the family, he would sign his works “ARAYMOND Aîné” (aîné meaning eldest in French) or “Alexandre M. RAYMOND”. He studied at the Turkish Fine Arts School in Constantinople where he was a student of Alexander Vallaury.

Ottoman Empire (1893-1922)
Architecture

Between 1893 and 1896, Alexandre Marc Raymond drew the blueprints for the Institute for sericulture development in Bursa, the working drawings for the completion of the Ankara Office and the construction plans for the Ottoman Public Debt Office in Adapazari.

In 1908, he published L’Art de la Construction en Turquie, (The Art of Construction in Turkey, published in French), a highly-precise technical volume of work, printed in Alexandria. “Alexandre Raymond’s passion for the history of architecture in Turkey is wonderfully illustrated in his research book Notes Pratiques et Résumés sur l‘Art de la Construction en Turquie (Practical Notes and Summaries of the Art of Construction in Turkey, published in French), where he describes the construction market, the equipment, materials, and employment conditions, as well as the legal provisions and regulations in the country.”

He partnered with his brother César who ran Librairie Raymond, a bookshop, where his written works were sold.

Reproductions of religious monuments and adornments
Alongside his incoming-generating activity as an architect, from the age of 16 (1888) until the age of 50 (1922), Alexandre Marc Raymond travelled around the Ottoman Empire and created reproductions of religious monuments and adornments. He also produced several plans of Constantinople.

Revue Technique d’Orient
From 1910 to 1911, Alexandre Marc Raymond was Editor-in-chief of the de la Revue Technique d’Orient, a monthly technical journal in French, published for the first time in Constantinople in September 1910.

End of the Ottoman Empire and leaving Constantinople

Between 1914-1918, the First World War caused the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the arrival in power of the nationalist Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Turkey. Greece moved to action to overthrow Mustapha Kemal. The Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) broke out in 1919. The massacres of the Greek population living on Turkish soil compelled Alexandre Marc Raymond, whose Greek origin wife was threatened, to flee his native city with his wife and children and leave everything behind. As he had French nationality, he headed for France.

In France
Alexandre Marc Raymond arrived in France in 1922 and settled in Paris with his family, at 12 Rue du Helder in the 9th district. He was persuaded that he would resume his activities in Constantinople quickly. The family moved from the 9th district and settled in Vincennes, at 9 rue Eugène Loeil.

L’Art islamique en Orient I, II and III (Islamic Art in the East I, II and III)
In 1922, he worked on publishing the first book of his Islamic art reproductions entitled Alttürkishe Keramik or L’Art islamique en Orient – Première Partie (Islamic Art in the East – Part One, published in French). In 1923, with the financial backing of American millionaire Charles Crane, he commissioned the printing of L’Art islamique en Orient, Deuxième Partie (Fragments d’architecture religieuse et civile) (Islamic Art in the East, Part Two (Fragments of Religious and Civil Architecture)) and L’Art islamique en Orient, Troisième Partie (Islamic Art in the East, Part Three), published in French in Prague by the Printing House Schulz.

Une ville célèbre, l’Angora ou l’antique Ancyre (A Famous city, the Angora or the Antik Ancyra)
In 1923, at the same time as publishing L’Art islamique, he published a volume on the treasures of Turkey, Une ville célèbre, l’Angora ou l’antique Ancyre (A Famous City, Angora or Antique Ancyra) once again with Schulz. This book is dedicated to the memory of Pierre Loti.

Faïences décoratives de la Vieille Turquie (Decoratives Faience in Ancient Turkey)
Alexandre Marc Raymond published Faïences décoratives de la Vieille Turquie (Decorative Faience in Ancient Turkey) through the Albert Morancé publishing house in Paris; a little book that reproduced some of the plates from L'Art Islamique en Orient and introduced new ones.

La Basilique d'Αγία Σοφία de Constantinople (The Basilica of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople)
In 1928, financial hardships would once again compel Alexandre Raymond and his family to move and settle in 29 bis Villa de la Reine Henriette, still in the suburban town of Colombes.

Over the next two years, Alexandre Raymond worked on a colossal project that he considered to be his life’s work: La Basilique de Sainte Sophie (Αγία Σοφία) de Constantinople (The Basilica of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople). He used his knowledge of the monument, the work and notes left by his father, the architect Marc Raymond, and a substantial amount of art photos taken of the inside of the building. The undeniable originality of the drawings (ink, watercolour, gold-leaf and silver paintings) is that they represent Hagia Sophia before the Muslims covered it with lime mosaics. Only one drawing of Hagia Sophia, relating to the period when Alexandre Raymond took on his work, 1931, existed.

The entire work totals some 88 representations of various sizes. The drawings are complemented by the text describing Hagia Sophia (Αγία Σοφία) written by Procopius of Caesarea, the text of the Holy Wisdom, also known as Holy Sophia, Divine Wisdom, by Anonymous and a historic and descriptive text from the author.

La Basilique des Saints-Apôtres (Church of the Holy Apostles)
Alexandre Raymond became interested in Christian art and developed a technique that required great rigour, which we could call “micro-mosaics”. By drawing from the texts written by Procopius of Caesarea, Constantine of Rhodes and Constantine Mazarius, he drew 35 representations of the Church of the Holy Apostles including an outstanding series of illustrations of the life of Christ.

Exhibition in June 1933 in Paris
General Gouraud granted his patronage for an exhibition that took place in the function hall of the town hall of the 13th district of Paris.

The exhibition entitled Visions féeriques d’Orient (Fantasy Perspectives of the East), grouped together some 172 plates : 80 plates from the Basilique de Sainte-Sophie de Constantinople (Basilica of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople) and 92 plates from L'Art Islamique en Orient (Islamic Art in the East). Alexandre Raymond’s name was not mentioned on the cover of the exhibition brochure.

Byzantine mosaics
Alexandre Raymond created 55 plates grouped together under the title Essai de reconstitution de mosaïques byzantines (Attempt to reproduce Byzantine mosaics). He portrayed the most famous mosaics of Greek, Italian and Turkish churches. He used photos that he divided into segments and then scale reproduced down to the finest detail; a surprising technique that would much later on be known as “micro-mosaics”.

Theodora
Pursuing with mosaics, he created 14 original illustrations of highlights of the life of Empress Theodora, his final work, which he completed on 12 March 1940

End of life
He moved home for the sixth time in the town of Colombes to a small one-bedroom apartment at 14 rue Victor Hugo. He died in total poverty, during the Occupation, on 16 May 1941 at the age of 69. He is buried in the Gabriel Péri Communal Cemetery in Colombes.

Micro-mosaics
Alexandre Raymond’s “micro-mosaics” evoked contemporary-day pointillism and the yet-to-come pixellation. Alexandre Raymond worked with a plank of wood on his lap, a magnifying glass in one hand and a paintbrush or a dip pen in the other. He would cut the tip of the nib so he could reproduce the tesserae perfectly. Enlargements, now possible thanks to digitization, enable us to appreciate the quality of his work.

Major works
Paintings, drawings and plans


 * Plan de l’Institut pour la Construction Séricicole de Brousse (Plan for the Institute for sericulture development in Bursa) (1893)


 * Plan des Travaux de Parachèvement de l’Agence d’Angora (Working drawings for the completion of the Ankara Office) (1895)
 * Plan de Construction de l’Agence à Ada Bazar (Construction plans for the Ottoman Public Debt Office in Adapazari) (1896)
 * Sanctuaires Byzantins (Byzantine Sanctuaries)
 * L’Art Islamique dans le Vilayet de Brousse'  (18 cartes et croquis) (Islamic Art in the Bursa Vilayet (18 cards and sketches)' 
 * L’Art Islamique en Orient (première partie) ou Vieilles Faïences Turques (36 dessins), première édition : Alttürkishe Keramik, (Islamic Art in the East (part one) or Ancient Turkish Faience (36 drawings), first edition: Alttürkishe Keramik, Published by Apollo, Bologna, 1923, (with an introduction by Charles Wulzinger, 36 drawings (40 Plates) printed by Schulz on behalf of Librairie Raymond (bookshop) (Péra, Constantinople); second edition printed in France in Montauban. A large-sized book planned to be the first part of a set of three books with the general title L’Art Islamique en Orient (Islamic Art in the East).
 * L’Art Islamique en Orient (deuxième partie) ou Fragments d’Architecture Religieuse et Civile, (Islamic Art in the East (part two) or Fragments of Religious and Civil Architecture) printed in Prague,1924, 52 CMY drawings, Librairie Raymond, oriental art and archaeology publications, Péra – Constantinople – Dedicated to Charles Richard Crane with a preface by the author dated 15 July 1923.
 * L’Art Islamique en Orient - Troisième Partie (Islamic Art in the East - Part Three). It was to include 60 drawings of panelling, fountains, illuminations, of the Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque in Stamboul, the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, masterpiece of the architect Atik Sinan with timeline, plans, longitudinal and transverse sections, 12 pages of text (49 x 35.5 cm), unpublished.
 * Faïences Décoratives de la Vieille Turquie, (Decorative Faience in Ancient Turkey), Paris, Albert Morance, 1927, 29 plates including 3 double pages. Loose sketches and plans in document files, half-black canvas, first flat image illustrated in colour.
 * La Basilique de Sainte Sophie (Αγία Σοφία) de Constantinople (The Basilica of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople), 88 drawings (ink, watercolour, gouache, gold-leaf paint): pillars, doorways, corridors, vaults, the great cupola, mosaics, plans, façades, longitudinal and transverse sections, general perspectives, marble facings, major mosaic icons. Three descriptive manuscripts by Procopius of Caesarea, by Anonymous and by the author, 1928-29.
 * Essai de Reconstitution de la Basilique des Saints-Apôtres, (Attempt to reproduce the Basilica of the Holy Apostles) 37 drawings, 1933.
 * Mosaïques Byzantines, (Byzantine Mosaics) 55 drawings, 1935.
 * Théodora de Byzance, (Theodora, Byzantine Empress) 14 drawings, 1940. Published texts
 * L’Art du constructeur en Turquie, (The Art of Construction in Turkey), 1908, Alexandria.
 * Revue Technique d’Orient, 1910-1911, as Editor-in-Chief: miscellaneous articles.
 * Une ville célèbre Angora (L’antique Ancyre), (A Famous City, Angora (Antique Ancyra)), Schulz, Prague, 1924.

Manuscripts

 * Manuscript of introductory, descriptive and/or explanatory texts for La Basilique de Sainte Sophie (Αγία Σοφία) de Constantinople (The Basilica of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople), Essai de Reconstitution de la Basilique des Saints-Apôtres (Attempt to reproduce the Basilica of the Holy Apostles), Mosaïques Byzantines (Byzantine Mosaics) and Théodora de Byzance (Theodora, Byzantine Empress).
 * Encyclopédie Byzantine et Musulmane (Byzantine and Muslim Encyclopaedia) (unpublished) – [from Antonina –BYZANCE – CONSTANTINOPLE- STAMBOUL- CHRYSOPOLIS (Scutari) – CHALCEDON(Cadi-Keuy) BOSPORUS – Princes’ Islands – since 675 (BCE) until the present day, based on accounts from the most reliable authors and travellers, on information and enquiries and surveys from Marc Raymond, checked, corrected, reproduced and enhanced by his eldest son, Alexandre M. Raymond, Architect. (35 studies)]