Jean-Pierre Cassigneul

According to member Charles Chassé, “a picture had meaning only when it possessed style… when the artist had succeeded in changing the shape of the objects he was looking at and imposing on them contours or a color that expressed his own personality.These artists were therefore known for their bright color palette, as well as their compressed interpretation of space and incorporation of stylistic elements characteristic of Japanese woodblock prints, which had attained mainstream popularity on the Continent during that period. Cassigneul integrates these components into his paintings harmoniously, celebrating the vibrant Nabi aesthetic by organizing his compositions into bright, flat spaces that are defined by dark outlines reminiscent of woodblock imagery.

Cassigneul was also greatly influenced by Dutch Expressionist and Fauvist painter Kees Van Dongen, who was known both for his sensuous portraits of red-district bohemian women, as well as his more elegant portrayal of the societal elite. The elongated figures, pale complexions and large blackened eyes of Cassigneul’s female subjects bear a striking resemblance to those of Van Dongen, though without the latter’s blatantly sexual and provocative overtones. Van Dongen’s use of intense, unblended color has also greatly influenced Cassigneul’s aesthetic.

Cassigneul was born in 1935 in Paris. He had his first solo exhibition at the age of 17 at Galerie Lucy Krohg. Cassigneul studied at l’École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris and was later instructed by the French painter Roger Chapelain-Midy. In 1958, he had his first exhibition at the Galerie des Beaux-Arts, and the following year he was appointed a member of the Salon d’Automne. He has exhibited widely throughout Europe, Japan and the United States, including shows at the Gallery Tivey Faucon in Paris, Gallery Tamenaga in Japan, and Wally Findlay Gallery in New York. He currently lives and works in Paris.