Jean-Claude Fourneau (28 March 1907 – 9 October 1981) was a French painter close to the surrealist movement. His mother was a descendant of Victor de Lanneau, restorer of the Collège Sainte-Barbe in Paris, of

Juliette Adam Juliette Adam (; née Lambert; 4 October 1836 – 23 August 1936) was a French author and feminist. Life and career Juliette Adam was born in Verberie (Oise). She gave an account of her childhood, rendered unhappy by the dissensions of he ...

, founder of a French paper, ''La Nouvelle Revue'', muse of

Léon Gambetta Léon Gambetta (; 2 April 1838 – 31 December 1882) was a French lawyer and republican politician who proclaimed the French Third Republic in 1870 and played a prominent role in its early government. Early life and education Born in Cahors, Ga ...

and the spiritual mother of

Pierre Loti Pierre Loti (; pseudonym of Louis Marie-Julien Viaud ; 14 January 1850 – 10 June 1923) was a French naval officer and novelist, known for his exotic novels and short stories.This article is derived largely from the ''Encyclopædia Britannica El ...

; and she was the daughter of

Paul Segond Paul Ferdinand Segond (8 May 1851 in Paris – 27 October 1912 in Paris) was a French surgeon who was a founder of obstetrics and the teaching of gynaecology in Paris. He was also an expert on the knee and described the eponymous Segond fr ...

, pioneer in the field of surgical gynaecology. His father,

Ernest Fourneau Ernest Fourneau (4 October 1872 – 5 August 1949) was a French pharmacist graduated in Pharmacy 1898 for the Paris university specialist in medicinal chemical and pharmacology who played a major role in the discovery of synthetic local anesthetic ...

, was the founder of French

medicinal chemistry Medicinal or pharmaceutical chemistry is a scientific discipline at the intersection of chemistry and pharmacy involved with designing and developing pharmaceutical drugs. Medicinal chemistry involves the identification, synthesis and developme ...

Biography

Draughtsman and painter imbued with classicism and surrealism, Jean-Claude Fourneau is first noticed at his show at the Jeanne Castel Gallery by André Salmon in 1932. He continued exhibiting there until 1948.

Claude Roger-Marx Claude Roger-Marx (12 November 1888, Paris – 17 May 1977, Paris), was a French writer, and playwright, as well as an art critic and art historian like his father Roger Marx (1859–1913). He also used the pen name "Claudinet". Biography Roge ...

sees his use of drawing as a medium and appreciates their detail: "The detail in Jean-Claude Fourneau's drawings gives us a sense of the infinite (...) Fascinating in the power and sensitivity that every stroke of his brush conveys." For the literary character of his work, the critic quotes the artist himself: "I cannot conceive of a man painting who has no culture. I do not distinguish between painting and poetry, they both strive towards the same goal." Fourneau then specialises in portraits and builds himself a solid reputation. Oriane de La Panouse, the countess of Paris, the Harcourt, Brantes, Faucigny-Lucinge, Seillière, Broglie, Pourtalès, Maillé, Montesquiou, Wendel families figure amongst his clients. An intimate circle of people support his work leading François Pluchart to state in the review '' Combat'' during the André Weil Gallery show in 1963: "The Parisian fashion and intellectual circle has found its painter". During the year of 1961, he interprets the role of the bishop Cauchon in

Robert Bresson Robert Bresson (; 25 September 1901 – 18 December 1999) was a French film director. Known for his ascetic approach, Bresson contributed notably to the art of cinema; his non-professional actors, ellipses, and sparse use of scoring have l ...

's ''

The Trial of Joan of Arc ''The Trial of Joan of Arc'' (french: Procès de Jeanne d'Arc) is a 1962 French historical drama film written and directed by Robert Bresson. The title role is played by Florence Delay. Synopsis In 1431, Jeanne d'Arc, a peasant girl who has l ...

''. A show in Casablanca in 1954, made him known in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

where he lived for several years. He painted the portraits of Lalla Malika, the sister of King

Hassan II Hassan, Hasan, Hassane, Haasana, Hassaan, Asan, Hassun, Hasun, Hassen, Hasson or Hasani may refer to: People * Hassan (given name), Arabic given name and a list of people with that given name *Hassan (surname), Arabic, Jewish, Irish, and Scotti ...

, of Lalla Lamia, his step sister, of Karim Lamrani, his prime minister, of

General Oufkir General Mohammad Oufkir ( ar, محمد أوفقير; 14 May 1920 − 16 August 1972) was a Moroccan senior military officer who held many important governmental posts. It is believed that he was assassinated for his alleged role in the failed 1 ...

and other members of the Moroccan Royal Court. Claude Rivière states that Fourneau is the opposite of being a fashionable painter: "A great admirer of Antonin Artaud, of Paulhan, of Aragon, the artist calls upon his understanding of his model and goes beyond just a formal expression to impose his point of view." Jean Paulhan asks himself: "By what secret, Jean-Claude Fourneau possesses such prolific fierceness?". Jean-Claude Fourneau appears on a photograph of surrealist artists gathered at the Café Cyrano in 1953, and André Breton mentions him as being part of the group. André Breton was a form of tutor to Fourneau, for whom he had a lot of affection and confirmed the influence of surrealism in its literary and artistic form in his work. Fourneau wrote to André Breton at his address, rue Fontaine, in 1954 to try to temper the case of '' Story of O'', of which he was a fervent defender, with the representation of the subliminal woman in ', an essay by Breton. As if 'untempered love', 'elected love' could not find any better unravelling as in the paradox of opposites, pleasure against pain, violence against tenderness, free adult relations against faithfulness, strength against weakness... On his return to Paris in 1968, Jean-Claude Fourneau pursues portrait painting and his last exhibition is held in 1976.

Work

* ''Portrait of Andrée Seillière'', oil on canvas, 1942 (coll. Andrée Jaigu) * ''Portrait of Josée de Chambrun'', oil on canvas, 1947 (coll.

Josée and René de Chambrun Foundation The Josée and René de Chambrun Foundation (french: Fondation Josée-et-René-de-Chambrun) is a French charitable foundation preserving Lafayette's home Château de la Grange-Bléneau. Recognized by the French government as a nonprofit organizat ...

) * ''Portrait of

Felix Yusupov Prince Felix Felixovich Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston (russian: Князь Фе́ликс Фе́ликсович Юсу́пов, Граф Сумаро́ков-Эльстон, Knyaz' Féliks Féliksovich Yusúpov, Graf Sumarókov-El'ston; – ...

'', oil on canvas, 1951 (coll. Fourneau) * ''Portrait of Agnès Bourgois'', oil on plywood, 1953 (coll. Fondation Agnès Troublé, dite agnès b.) * ''Portrait of Général Catroux'', oil on canvas, 1955 (coll.

Maison d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur The maisons d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur were the French secondary schools set up by Napoleon and originally meant for the education of girls whose father, grandfather or great-grandfather had been awarded the Légion d'honneur. Access is s ...

, Saint-Denis) * ''Portrait of Céleste Albaret'', oil on canvas, 1957 (coll. Fourneau) * ''Portrait of Princess Lalla Malika of Morocco'', oil on canvas, 1958 (coll. Royal Palace of Rabat) * ''Portrait of Jeanne-Marie de Broglie'', oil on canvas, 1958 (coll. J.-M. de Broglie) * ''Portrait of

Jean Paulhan Jean Paulhan (2 December 1884 – 9 October 1968) was a French writer, literary critic and publisher, director of the literary magazine ''Nouvelle Revue Française'' (NRF) from 1925 to 1940 and from 1946 to 1968. He was a member (Seat 6, 1963–68 ...

'', oil on plywood, 1964 (coll. Jacqueline Paulhan)Cf
''Bulletin de la Société des lecteurs de Jean Paulhan''
, n° 30, Oct. 2007, p. 17. * ''Portrait of

Dominique Aury Anne Cécile Desclos (23 September 1907 – 27 April 1998) was a French journalist and novelist who wrote under the pen names Dominique Aury and Pauline Réage. She is best known for her erotic novel '' Story of O'' (1954). Early life Born ...

'', oil on Isorel, 1965 (coll. Fourneau) * ''Portrait of

Diane de France Diane de France, ''suo jure'' Duchess of Angoulême (25 July 1538 – 11 January 1619) was the natural (illegitimate) daughter of Henry II of France. She played an important political role during the French Wars of Religion and built the H� ...

'', oil on plywood (coll. Diane de Würtemberg) * ''Portrait of Karl de Würtemberg'', oil on canvas (coll. Karl de Würtemberg) * ''Portrait of Anne-Aymone Giscard d’Estaing'', oil on canvas, 1969 (coll. A.-A. Giscard d’Estaing)

External links

Jean-Claude Fourneau

''Ironie'', n° 142, November 2009.

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fourneau, Jean-Claude 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists French male painters French male film actors 1907 births 1981 deaths French surrealist artists 20th-century French male actors