Cassigneul Jean-Pierre, Devant la mer, 1993
1993
Original lithograph in color
53.7 x 62.4 cm.
Signed by the artist in pencil lower right
Catalogue raisonné : Lebouc et Takahashi 53
“
I was reminded of the hieratic and equally mysterious Egyptian female silhouettes, in profile, seen on the treasures taken from the tomb of Tout Ankh Amon”[1]
Jean-Pierre Cassigneul is renowned for his portraits of women, characterized by graceful poses, elongated silhouettes and delicately drawn faces. The detail of the richly decorated garments reflects the elegance of women’s fashion in his day.
This composition shows a young woman in a black dress adorned with red roses and wearing an imposing hat, blending into a seascape. Her pleated eyes, highlighted by green blush, recall the distinctive features of Cassigneul’s characters. Recurring hats, dresses and jewelry define his imaginary models. While the theme of women remains constant, the landscapes in the background, often coastal or gardens, vary with the seasons and moods.
[1] Jean François Josselin, Cassigneul Lithographe et Graveur, Paris, 1989
About the author
Jean-Pierre Cassigneul (born 1935)
Jean-Pierre Cassigneul has built up a personal body of work on the bangs of contemporary artistic circles and preoccupations. Women, saturated-colored gardens in bloom in the heart of summer, and the seaside are among the subjects that have most captured his attention. Mostly alone, in profile, elegantly dressed, wearing a hat, his figures evoke Verlaine’s famous lines about women “who are, each time, neither quite the same nor quite another” (Poèmes saturniens, 1866).
