(en) Britain, AFED Organise! #82 - Culture Article: The Anarchist Woodcuts of Alexandre Mairet, (1880-1947)

We also continue our series on anarchist artists and writers with a look at the work of 
the anarchist wood cut specialist Alexandre Mairet, who gave his support to antimilitarist 
and anti-capitalist propaganda with his artwork produced during World War One ---- 
Alexandre Mairet was born in 1880, in La Tour-de-Peilz, in the canton of Vaud 
(Switzerland). He was the only son of Louis Auguste Mairet and Marie Louise n?e Pr?lat. He 
spent most of his very early childhood being raised by a peasant family in St. L?gier. At 
the age of five he rejoined his mother in Geneva. From 1896 to 1899 he studied at the 
School of Fine and Industrial Arts in Geneva. From 1901 he worked in the studio of the 
Maurice xylographer (wood engraver) Maurice Baud. From 1903 to 1907, he made numerous 
trips to Arnex near Orbe (Vaud) and the Dent de Lys (canton of Fribourg). Sharing the life 
of shepherds, he then painted mostly watercolours.

To live, he sold paintings that
were more in demand than the
wood engravings, which were
beginning to be pushed aside
by photography. From 1908
to 1910, he travelled to Italy
(Florence, Rome), Greece, and
Egypt. In 1920, he visited Paris
and did some painting there. He
also organised an exhibition by
Swiss artists in Turin.

He came across the writings
of Tolstoy and in 1905 wrote
him a letter of appreciation. He
treasured the reply he received
from the Russian writer all of his
life.

During the First World War, he
gravitated towards the anti-war
circles animated by the French
writer Romain Rolland, now in
exile in Geneva. These circles
published several periodicals.
Some were illustrated by the
Belgian woodcut specialist
Frans Masereeel (1889-1972).
Masereel, on whom we hope to
have an article in a future copy
of Organise!, was a Belgian
anarchist who had refused
conscription and had fled to
Switzerland, where he stayed
from 1915 until 1921. The two
artists met, and Masereel?s work
had a profound influence on
Mairet?s own works.
In 1916, Alexander Mairet
contributed to the anti-war
magazine pacifist Carmel. He
then, probably through Masereel,
came in contact with the Swiss
anarchist circles around Louis
(Luigi) Bertoni and Lucien
Tronchet. From 1918 to 1930
he illustrated their fortnightly
bilingual (French and Italian)
newspaper. Bertoni (1872-1947)
a typographer, was the founder
in 1900 of this publication, Il
Risveglio Anarchico /Le R?veil
Anarchiste in Geneva. The
newspaper had become Le
R?veil Anarchiste Communiste
in 1913 and from 1 May 1926,
Le R?veil Anarchiste. Alexander
Mairet created more than forty
woodcuts for it. Some of these
woodcuts were arranged as short
cartoons and they were hard
hitting attacks on unemployment,
capitalism, religion, and law.
Other woodcuts illustrated
workers? resistance, scenes
from demonstrations and the
barricades. Mairet also provided
illustrations on the theme of the
trial and execution of the Italian-
American anarchists Sacco and
Vanzetti. Between 1917 and
1922 he also contributed to The
New International, journal of the
French speaking Swiss Socialist
Youth, and then the Vanguard,
organ of the Swiss Communist
Party.

In 1919, he obtained a position
in art history at the Ecole des
Beaux-Arts in Geneva, where
he remained until 1946. In 1922,
he was one of the founders
of the Association of Painters,
Sculptors, and Art Designers of
the canton of Geneva, on which
he served as secretary. He
was much appreciated by other
artists because of his warm,
loyal, and supportive character,
and he never sought titles or
honours.