Jean Hugo (19 November 1894 – 21 June 1984) was a painter, illustrator, theatre designer and author. He was born in Paris and died in his home at the Mas de Fourques, near Lunel, France. Brought up in a lively artistic environment, he began teaching himself drawing and painting and wrote essays and poetry from a very early age. His artistic career spans the 20th century, from his early sketches of the First World War, through the creative ferment of the Parisian interwar years, and up to his death in 1984. He was part of a number of artistic circles that included

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the s ...

, Raymond Radiguet,

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

Georges Auric Georges Auric (; 15 February 1899 – 23 July 1983) was a French composer, born in Lodève, Hérault, France. He was considered one of ''Les Six'', a group of artists informally associated with Jean Cocteau and Erik Satie. Before he turned 20 he ...

Erik Satie Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (, ; ; 17 May 18661 July 1925), who signed his name Erik Satie after 1884, was a French composer and pianist. He was the son of a French father and a British mother. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, but was an und ...

Blaise Cendrars Frédéric-Louis Sauser (1 September 1887 – 21 January 1961), better known as Blaise Cendrars, was a Swiss-born novelist and poet who became a naturalized French citizen in 1916. He was a writer of considerable influence in the European mo ...

Marie-Laure de Noailles Marie-Laure Henriette Anne de Noailles, Vicomtesse de Noailles (; née Bischoffsheim; 31 October 1902 – 29 January 1970) was a French artist, regarded one of the 20th century's most daring and influential patrons of the arts, noted for her asso ...

Paul Eluard Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

Francis Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include mélodie, songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among th ...

Charles Dullin Charles Dullin (; 8 May 1885 – 11 December 1949) was a French actor, theater manager and director. Career Dullin began his career as an actor in melodrama:185 In 1908, he started his first troupe with Saturnin Fabre, the ''Théâtre de Foire ...

Louis Jouvet Jules Eugène Louis Jouvet (24 December 1887 – 16 August 1951) was a French actor, theatre director and filmmaker. Early life Jouvet was born in Crozon. He had a stutter as a young man and originally trained as a pharmacist. He receive ...

Colette Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known mononymously as Colette, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaking world for her ...

Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, critic, and essayist who wrote the monumental novel '' In Search of Lost Time'' (''À la recherche du temps perdu''; with the previous ...

Jacques Maritain Jacques Maritain (; 18 November 1882 – 28 April 1973) was a French Catholic philosopher. Raised Protestant, he was agnostic before converting to Catholicism in 1906. An author of more than 60 books, he helped to revive Thomas Aquinas fo ...

, Max Jacob,

Carl Theodor Dreyer Carl Theodor Dreyer (; 3 February 1889 – 20 March 1968), commonly known as Carl Th. Dreyer, was a Danish film director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his movies are noted for their emotional aus ...

Marie Bell Marie Bell (23 December 1900 – 14 August 1985), born Marie-Jeanne Bellon-Downey, was a French tragedian, comic actor and stage director. She was the director of the Théâtre du Gymnase in Paris from 1962 onwards, and this theatre now bear ...

, Louise de Vilmorin,

Cecil Beaton Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, (14 January 1904 – 18 January 1980) was a British fashion, portrait and war photographer, diarist, painter, and interior designer, as well as an Oscar–winning stage and costume designer for films and the t ...

and many others.

Hugo family

Jean Hugo was the great-grandson of the poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France,

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

. His grandfather, Charles Hugo was a journalist, pioneer of early photographic techniques and a campaigner against the death penalty, and his father Georges Hugo was a published author and a recognised painter. His paternal aunt was the socialite Jeanne Hugo. His mother, Pauline Ménard-Dorian, was the daughter of Paul-François Ménard, conseiller général and député of the

Hérault Hérault (; oc, Erau, ) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 2019.Pierre Frédéric Dorian, minister of works during the siege of Paris. Jean Hugo was married twice, first in 1919 to Valentine Hugo (née Valentine Gross, no children from this civil marriage) and then in 1949 to Lauretta Hope-Nicholson, daughter of Hedley Hope-Nicholson. Jean Hugo and Lauretta had seven children: Charles Hugo (farmer), Marie Hugo (artist), Jean-Baptiste Hugo (artist), Adèle Hugo (artist), Jeanne Hugo-Chabrol (teacher), Sophie Hugo-Lafont (librarian), Léopoldine Hugo (artist). Jean Hugo's half-brother François Hugo designed limited-edition jewellery interpretations for

Max Ernst Max Ernst (2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) was a German (naturalised American in 1948 and French in 1958) painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealis ...

and

Coco Chanel Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel ( , ; 19 August 1883 – 10 January 1971) was a French fashion designer and businesswoman. The founder and namesake of the Chanel brand, she was credited in the post-World War I era with popularizing a sporty, c ...

during the '20s Modern period. Pierre Hugo – son of François Hugo – is also a jewellery designer and has written a book about the artistic legacy of the Hugo family, ''Les Hugo – Un témoignage'' (Rocher, France, 2007).

Paintings

Hugo is predominantly known for his sketches and oil or

gouache Gouache (; ), body color, or opaque watercolor is a water-medium paint consisting of natural pigment, water, a binding agent (usually gum arabic or dextrin), and sometimes additional inert material. Gouache is designed to be opaque. Gouache ...

paintings, which are often executed in small formats. He also illustrated books, designed theatre sets and costumes and produced ceramics, murals, textile designs and stained glass windows. Hugo designed the sets and costumes for

's film ''

The Passion of Joan of Arc ''The Passion of Joan of Arc'' (french: link=no, La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc) is a 1928 French silent historical film based on the actual record of the trial of Joan of Arc. The film was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and stars Renée Jeanne ...

'' (1928). His paintings can be viewed at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, and are also present in collections in London, Tokyo, Toronto, Paris, Marseille, and at the Musee Fabre in Montpellier, France – where there is a room dedicated to his paintings. Image:Maisonenruinealatargette-ww1.jpg, ''Maison en ruine à la targette'', 1915 Image:Interieurdunbar-1917.jpg, ''Intérieur d'un bar'', 1917 Image:Panneauxdesignalisationdechemindefer-1918-aquarelle.jpg, ''Panneaux de signalisation de chemin de fer'' (aquarelle, page de carnet), 1918 Image:Jean Hugo La veuve et le militaire.jpg, ''La veuve et le militaire'', 1925 painting by Jean Hugo Jean Hugo's painting is unique in the artistic panorama of the first half of the 20th century and maintains originality while evoking avant-garde themes of

magical realism Magical is the adjective for magic. It may also refer to: * Magical (horse) (foaled 2015), Irish Thoroughbred racehorse * "Magical" (song), released in 1985 by John Parr * '' Magical: Disney's New Nighttime Spectacular of Magical Celebrations'', ...

metaphysical painting Metaphysical painting ( it, pittura metafisica) or metaphysical art was a style of painting developed by the Italian artists Giorgio de Chirico and Carlo Carrà. The movement began in 1910 with de Chirico, whose dreamlike works with sharp contra ...

. At the start of the 1930s, in between naïve and happy scenes and various theatrical projects – such as Jean Cocteau's ''Les mariés de la Tour Eiffel'' – he produced a series of works in brooding, unsettling, tones (''Solitude'', 1933). He showed an interest in forest scenes (''L'Ermite de Meudon'', 1933) and religious themes (''La Cène'', 1933). ''L'Imposteur'' (1931) and ''La Baie des Trépassés'' (1932) were produced in the same period. His painting were based on the sketchbooks that he had with him at all times. He used to say that "Inspiration comes naturally but one has to arrange regular meetings with it". ''L'Imposteur'' (1931) concludes Hugo's first artistic period, which coincides with his move from Paris to the family property at the Mas de Fourques, Lunel, France, following the death of his grandmother. This imposing painting is an assembly of the most important insights he had acquired thus far: the lessons of the Italian primitives, of

Henri Rousseau Henri Julien Félix Rousseau (; 21 May 1844 – 2 September 1910)
at the Poussin Nicolas Poussin (, , ; June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was the leading painter of the classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome. Most of his works were on religious and mythological subjects painted for ...

and Picasso, sources of inspiration on which he is constantly drawing. The subject of the painting evokes the discomfort of the catechumen in the midst of the faithful, prevented from taking communion during Christmas mass at the Church of Saint-François in Montpellier. The painting is set in the countryside around Lunel, with its vineyards and low scrubland ( garrigue). The tense and complex composition of the work is extremely well executed. No element, line, motif, nuance of colour or object is secondary. Each element contributes to the pictorial vision. The delicate volumes are bathed in luminosity and stand out from the background. The figures are fixed in the space by superimposed connections, in the Florentine manner. In the middle of the 1930s, he began using oil paints to create his larger compositions while continuing to paint with tempera. ''Le Mangeur au chandail rayé (autoportrait)'' (1940) shows the artist in his home at the Mas de Fourques. The motif of the stripes contrasts with the neat contours of the table, the chimney and the wall. In this homely setting, the figure seems surrounded by mystery and casualness. Although Hugo does not draw greatly on De Chirico, this work evokes the feeling of isolation and mystery that characterises the production of the latter. Jean Hugo's work bears witness to his intention to work outside of current trends and fashionable theories. He never felt the need to participate in the artistic debates of his time and paid the price for it by never achieving wide recognition of his work by the general public. His auction record is $US308,200, for ''Les Plaisirs et les Jours'', set at François de Ricqlès' auction, Paris, on 26 November 1999.

Selected exhibitions

Hugo's work has been widely exhibited, with solo retrospectives taking place in France, England, Japan, Canada and the USA. * ''Jean Hugo and Max Jacob'', Claridge Gallery, London, 1929 * ''The Art of Jean Hugo'', Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 1973 * ''Jean Hugo'', Musée Paul Valéry, Sète, 1974 * ''Jean Hugo '77'', Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo, 1977 * ''Jean Hugo'', Musée Fabre, Montpellier, 1977–78 * ''Paintings and Drawings by Jean Hugo and Jean Cocteau'', Sotheby's, London, 1981 * ''Jean Hugo: Costumes pour "l'Homme qui rit"'', Maison de Victor Hugo, Paris, 1984 * ''Jean Hugo: 1894–1984'', Musée des Beaux Arts, Béziers, 1985 * ''Jean Hugo: palettes et souvenirs'', Musée Victor Hugo, Paris, 1994–95 * ''Jean Hugo: Dessins des années de guerre (1915–1919)'', Château de Blérancourt Musée de la coopération franco-américaine, 1994–95 * ''Jean Hugo: Une Rétrospective'', Pavillon du Musée Fabre, Montpellier, 1995 * ''Jean Hugo: a Retrospective'', Julian Barran Gallery, London, 1996 * ''Jean Hugo et la Scène'', Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra, Paris, 2001 * ''Jean Hugo, le manuscrit enluminé'', Musée Médard, Lunel, 2014 * ''Jean Hugo: l'Enlumineur du Quotidien'', Musée Pierre André Benoit, Alès, 2014''Jean Hugo: l'Enlumineur du Quotidien''
/ref>

Published work

*''Le Retour de l'enfant terrible: Lettres 1923–1966'' by Jean Bourgoint, Jean Hugo, Jean Mouton (Desclée de Brouwer, 1975) *''Avant d'oublier'' (''Before I Forget''), autobiography (Fayard, 1976), was a humorous memoir of his family and a first-hand account of the 1920s French

Surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...

movement. *''Le Regard de la mémoire'' (Actes Sud, 1983) – Jean Hugo's memoirs of the period from 1914 to 1945. These memoirs recount Jean Hugo's military service during World War I, and his life and friendships in the Parisian art scene during the interwar years. *''Voyage à Moscou et Léningrad'' (Cercle d'Art, 1953, reprinted by Actes Sud, 1984) *''Carnets, 1946–1984'' (Actes Sud, 1994) – The ''Carnets'', or ''Notebooks'', carry on from where ''Le Regard de la mémoire'' left off in 1945. They are based on the detailed diaries Hugo kept up to his death in 1984. The entries are unedited and instinctive, as found in the original notebooks, with an elegant, ironic writing style. Through his diary entries Jean Hugo reveals the alchemy of his artistic work, and the eye he brought to bear on people and landscapes. The book conveys the philosophy of his later years, sometimes disenchanted and often delectable. "My illness", wrote Jean Hugo on the last page of his diary, "is called ''artérite périphérique'', like the new boulevard around Paris." The book includes drawings and colour reproductions of Jean Hugo's paintings *''Dessins des années de guerre (1915–1919) – Drawings of the war'' (Actes Sud, 1994)

Books illustrated by Jean Hugo

Hugo's first published illustration appeared in 1918, a monogram for ''La Sirène'' publishing house. * Raymond Radiguet: ''Les Joues en Feu'', Bernouard, 1920. *

Francis Jammes Francis Jammes (; 2 December 1868, in Tournay, Hautes-Pyrénées – 1 November 1938, in Hasparren, Pyrénées-Atlantiques) was a French and European poet. He spent most of his life in his native region of Béarn and the Basque Country and his po ...

: ''Pommes d'Anis'', Emile-Paul, 1923. *

: ''Les Mariés de la Tour Eiffel'', NRF, 1924. *

Paul Morand Paul Morand (13 March 1888 – 24 July 1976) was a French author whose short stories and novellas were lauded for their style, wit and descriptive power. His most productive literary period was the interwar period of the 1920s and 1930s. He was mu ...

: ''Les Amis Nouvel'', Au Sans Pareil, 1924 * Shakespeare: ''Roméo et Juliette'', Au Sans Pareil, 1926 (republished, in English, by the Folio Society, 1950). * Jean Hugo: ''Le Miroir Magique'', Jeanne Bucher, 1927. * Jean Cocteau: ''Orphée'', Stock, 1927. * Marte Bibesco'': ''Le Perroquet Vert'', Jeanne Walter, 1929. *

André Maurois André Maurois (; born Émile Salomon Wilhelm Herzog; 26 July 1885 – 9 October 1967) was a French author. Biography Maurois was born on 26 July 1885 in Elbeuf and educated at the Lycée Pierre Corneille in Rouen, both in Normandy. A member of ...

: ''Climats'', Chamontin, 1929. *

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as '' Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

: ''An Inland Voyage'', Overbrook Press, 1938. * Maurice Sachs: ''Au temps du Boeuf sur le toit'', Nouvelle Revue critique, 1939. *

: ''En Avril 1944: Paris respirait encore!'', Galerie Charpentier, 1945. *

Jean Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditi ...

: ''Phèdre'', Tisné, 1946. * Félicité de Lammenais (translator): ''L'Imitation de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ'', Arts et Métiers, 1946 * Max Jacob: ''Le cornet à dés'', Gallimard, 1948. *

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

: ''Romeo and Juliet'', Folio Society, 1950. *

Charles Péguy Charles Pierre Péguy (; 7 January 1873 – 5 September 1914) was a French poet, essayist, and editor. His two main philosophies were socialism and nationalism. By 1908 at the latest, after years of uneasy agnosticism, he had become a believing b ...

: ''Le Mystère de la Charité de Jeanne d'Arc'', Gallimard, 1951. * Paul Claudel and Charles-Jean Odic: ''Cheminots de France'', Résistance-Fer, 1952. * Jean Hugo: ''Voyage à Moscou et Léningrad'', Cercle d'Art, 1953. * Gustav Jaeger: ''Jaeger's Natural History'', WS Cowell, 1953. * Louise de Vilmorin: ''L'Alphabet des aveux'', NRF, 1954. * Emmanuel d'Astier de la Vigerie: ''Sept fois sept jours'', Guilde du Livre, 1956. * Jean Hugo: ''Shakespeare's Cotswolds'', Lund Humphries, 1964 * Jean Hugo: ''Actes présumés de saint Alban de Nant'', Pierre-André Benoit, 1968 *

Maurice Scève Maurice Scève (c. 1501–c. 1564), was a French poet active in Lyon during the Renaissance period. He was the centre of the Lyonnese côterie that elaborated the theory of spiritual love, derived partly from Plato and partly from Petrarch. This ...

: ''Saulsaye'', Nouveau cercle parisien du livre, 1971. * Jean-Pierre Geay: ''L'Age d'or selon Jean Hugo'', Pierre-André Benoit, 1984 * Jean Hugo: ''Petit Office de Notre-Dame'', Les éditions de l'oeuvre d'art, 1994. In addition Hugo illustrated many limited edition books published from 1948 to 1984 by Pierre-André Benoit (PAB), collaborating with writers including

René Char René Émile Char (; 14 June 1907 – 19 February 1988) was a French poet and member of the French Resistance. Biography Char was born in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in the Vaucluse department of France, the youngest of the four children of Emile ...

, Marcel Jouhandeau,

Tristan Tzara Tristan Tzara (; ; born Samuel or Samy Rosenstock, also known as S. Samyro; – 25 December 1963) was a Romanian and French avant-garde poet, essayist and performance artist. Also active as a journalist, playwright, literary and art critic, comp ...

and René Crevel.

Jean Hugo's theatrical projects

*1921: costumes and masks for ''les Mariés de la tour Eiffel'', ballet-pantomime by Jean Cocteau, with music by

Les Six "Les Six" () is a name given to a group of six composers, five of them French and one Swiss, who lived and worked in Montparnasse. The name, inspired by Mily Balakirev's '' The Five'', originates in two 1920 articles by critic Henri Collet in ' ...

*:— costumes for ''la Belle Excentrique'', ballet by

*1922: decor and costumes for ''Esther de Carpentras'', opera by

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...

and

Armand Lunel Armand Lunel (9 June 1892 – 3 November 1977) was a French writer and the last known speaker of Shuadit (Judeo-Provençal), a now-extinct Occitan language (in its written form based on the modified Hebrew alphabet; the language persists though ...

*1924: decor and costumes for Cocteau's ''Roméo et Juliette'' (subsequently used by the Folio Society for their 1950 edition of Shakespeare's text) *1925: decor and costumes for ''la Femme silencieux'', with music by

*1926: decor for Cocteau's ''l'Orphée'' (costumes by

*:— decors and costumes for ''le Village blanc, ou Olive chez les nègres'', operetta by Jean Wiener and *1927: decor and costumes for Armand Lunel & Darius Milhaud's ''Les malheurs d'Orphée'' *:— decors and costumes for

Marcel Achard Marcel Achard (5 July 1899 – 4 September 1974) was a French playwright and screenwriter whose popular sentimental comedies Garzanti p. 3 maintained his position as a highly recognizable name in his country's theatrical and literary circles ...

's ''le Jouer d'échecs'' *1935: decors and costumes for

Boris Kochno Boris Evgenievich Kochno or Kokhno (russian: Бори́с Евге́ньевич Кохно́; 3 January 1904 – 8 December 1990) was a Russian poet, dancer and librettist. Early life Kochno was born in Moscow, Russia, on 3 January 1904. His fa ...

's ballet ''les Cent Baisirs'' *1938: decors and costumes for the Comédie Française's production of '' Ruy Blas'' *1939: decors and costumes for the Comédie Française's production of ''Phèdre'' *1941: costumes for ''les Folies Françaises'' ballet based on music by

Couperin The Couperin family was a musical dynasty of professional composers and performers. They were the most prolific family in French musical history, active during the Baroque era (17th—18th centuries). Louis Couperin and his nephew, François Coup ...

*1942: costumes for ''les Nuits'', by

Alfred de Musset Alfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay (; 11 December 1810 – 2 May 1857) was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist.His names are often reversed "Louis Charles Alfred de Musset": see "(Louis Charles) Alfred de Musset" (bio), Biography.com, 2007 ...

*1945: decors and costumes for

André Gide André Paul Guillaume Gide (; 22 November 1869 – 19 February 1951) was a French author and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature (in 1947). Gide's career ranged from its beginnings in the symbolist movement, to the advent of anticolonialism ...

's translation of

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' ( First Folio title: ''The Tragedie of Anthonie, and Cleopatra'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed, by the King's Men, at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre in aroun ...

at the Comédie Française *1946: decors and costumes for Boris Kochno's ballet ''les Amours de Jupiter'' *1981: decors for Jean-Joseph de Mondonville's '' Daphnis et Alcimadure'', l'Opéra de Montpellier

Books and films about Jean Hugo

*''The Art of Jean Hugo'' (Art Gallery of Ontario, 1973) – by Richard Wattenmaker
''Albums de familles – Apostrophes'' (TV show, 17 February 1984) Ina.fr
*''JEAN HUGO, Dessins des années de guerre, 1915–1919'' (Actes Sud- Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 1994) – Catalogue d’exposition, Musée National de la coopération franco-américaine *''JEAN HUGO, une rétrospective'' (Actes Sud – Ville de Montpellier – Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 1995) ''-'' Catalogue d’exposition, Musée Fabre Montpellier *''Jean Cocteau – Jean Hugo, Correspondance'' (1995) – by Brigitte Borsaro and Pierre Caizergues *''Avec Jean Hugo'' (Presses du Languedoc, 2002) – by Robert Faure *''Murmures pour Jean Hugo'' (2013, Albin Michel) – by Marie Rouanet

Quotations about Jean Hugo

: "Jean Hugo mixed his almost monstrous calm into the tumultuous enterprises of our youth. He was, and remains the very image of that perfect humility of the illuminators, for whom daily truths trumpeted decorative graces. His powerful hand, his big Jupiterian eye, his olympism in a way, did not use thunder but little watercolours so vast that it seemed as if their size was the result of a phenomenon of perspective. Indeed, he seems to view the sea in Brittany from a distance, and the garrigue by the big end of the telescope, which does not prevent him from evoking around us the mysterious odour of seaweed and wild herbs. Jean Hugo, subtle peasant, medieval monk, chases the angel from the bizarre through knowing all its tricks by heart."

Gustave Thibon Gustave Thibon (; 2 September 1903 – 19 January 2001) was a French philosopher. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature five times by Édouard Delebecque, in 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1968. Biography Although essentially self-taug ...

: "I knew him intimately. He was a strange being, admirable, a mystic, a lover, a great artist, who no doubt sinned by excess of modesty. He had been a little tired of fame by his name, which was extremely heavy. .. Jean Hugo spent his youth in that golden world of the big families of the Third Republic, the Berthelot, the Favre, the Renan, the Daudet, a world that he moved away from for a more isolated life in Lunel. His work is far better known, and valued, in America than in France, where he still suffers a little of being eclipsed by his name. I consider him a great painter, and a great painter that is relatively unknown. If he hadn't found others to look after publicising him, he would never have sold a single painting.

Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

, who was a good friend of his, used to say to him "you do nothing for your fame". And indeed he did nothing for it – others did it to him. Once again, he was a pure being. If the word innocence could be applied to anyone it was him. He was very handsome, and of prodigious vitality – dare I say Hugolian. He was detached enough not to install himself in his own name – while still showing unconditional admiration for the work of his great ancestor, that he knew in detail." ''Entretiens avec Gustave Thibon'' by Philippe Barthelet (Éditions du Rocher, Monaco, 2001) Maurice Sachs: "Jean Hugo was calm, kind and generous. Life flowed calmly before him and we knew of no enemies of his. He carried the heavy burden of his family name with elegance. Like his father Georges Hugo he was a man of the world, a man of great distinction in heart and spirit, a kind friend, a man you would want to have in your life." ''La Décade de l'illusion'' (Paris, Gallimard, 1950 pp. 14–16)

: "Jean Hugo's artistic temperament holds its own outside of all fashions. His work reminds us of the marvels that the relaxation of some prince of ancient times might have produced, as can be found in the tales of a thousand and one nights."

References

External links

''New York Times'' Obituary – June 23, 1984 "Jean Hugo, Artist, Dies at 89"Presentation of the ''Jean Hugo'' room at the Musee Fabre, Montpellier (in French)Jean Hugo paintings on WikiArtJean Hugo collection at the Barnes Foundationwebsite of Jean Hugo's home, the Mas de FourquesPast auction results for Jean Hugo at Christie's
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hugo, Jean 1894 births 1984 deaths Painters from Paris Modern artists 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists French male painters French illustrators Hugo family Lycée Condorcet alumni People educated at Elizabeth College, Guernsey Recipients of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)