Bernard Lorjou (9 September 1908 – 26 January 1986) was a French painter of

Expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

and a founding member of the anti-abstract art Group "L'homme Témoin".

Early life

Lorjou was born in

Blois Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher Departments of France, department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours. With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the mos ...

, in the

Loir-et-Cher Loir-et-Cher (, ) is a Departments of France, department in the Centre-Val de Loire Regions of France, region of France. It is named after two rivers which run through it, the Loir in its northern part and the Cher (river), Cher in its southern p ...

department of France, in 1908, the youngest of 3 children. Born to an impoverished family just before

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Lorjou was to receive the bulk of his education, as he put it, "in the streets." At the age of 13, with his desire to learn to paint, he left his home for Paris. There, Lorjou lived through early years of hardship and often found himself sleeping in metros and the

Gare d'Orsay The Gare d'Orsay () is a former Paris railway station and hotel, built in 1900 to designs by Victor Laloux, Lucien Magne and Émile Bénard; it served as a terminus for the Chemin de Fer de Paris à Orléans (Paris–Orléans railway). It w ...

while working without pay as an errand boy for a printing house. He eventually found a position as a designer at the silk house Ducharne where he met his future wife Yvonne Mottet, also an artist and painter. Lorjou found success as a silk designer. Over the next 30 years, his designs not only adorned the bodies of many of the world's most prominent women but also provided him an income that allowed him to paint on a full-time basis.

Painting

During travels through Spain in 1931, he was struck by the expressive strong styles of the artists

El Greco Doménikos Theotokópoulos (, ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco (; "The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance, regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time. ...

Velasquez Velázquez, also Velazquez, Velásquez or Velasquez (, ), is a surname from Spain. It is a patronymic name, meaning "son of Velasco". References to "Velazquez" without a first name are often to the Spanish painter, Diego Velázquez. Notable peo ...

, and most of all

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, an ...

. Inspired by Goya, Lorjou began painting socio-political events. In 1942, at the

Salon des Indépendents Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (Pa ...

, Lorjou exhibited his work for the first time. He held his first solo exhibition in 1945 at the Galerie du Bac. In 1946, he appeared in an exhibition with

Georges Rouault Georges-Henri Rouault (; 27 May 1871, Paris - 13 February 1958, Paris) was a French painter, draughtsman, and printmaker, whose work is often associated with Fauvism and Expressionism. Childhood and education Rouault was born into a poor famil ...

Chaïm Soutine Chaïm Soutine (; ; ; 13 January 1893 – 9 August 1943) was a French painter of Belarusian-Jewish origin of the School of Paris, who made a major contribution to the Expressionist movement while living and working in Paris. Inspired by clas ...

, and

James Ensor James Sidney Edouard, Baron Ensor (13 April 1860 – 19 November 1949) was a Belgian painter and printmaker, an important influence on expressionism and surrealism who lived in Ostend for most of his life. He was associated with the artistic ...

. In 1948, he shared the Critic’s Award with

Bernard Buffet Bernard Buffet (; 10 July 1928 – 4 October 1999) was a French painter, printmaker, and sculptor. An extremely prolific artist, he produced a varied and extensive body of work. His style was exclusively figurative and is often classified as Exp ...

.Cornell, Kenneth. "The Buffet Enigma." ''Yale French Studies'', no. 19/20, 1957, pp. 94–97. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2930427. Accessed 4 Aug. 2023. In the same year, with art critic Jean Bouret, Lorjou formed the art group "l’Homme Temoin" with art critic by declaring that "man is an eater of red meat, fried potatoes, fruit and cheese".''www.the-artists.org/'' The group banded together in an effort to defend figurative painting against the abstract movement and would eventually attract other painters such as Bernard Buffet, , , Robert Charazac, and . Over the next 30 years, Lorjou’s reputation as a painter became more established, though his style went through a series of transformations. Lorjou was supported by prominent art figures like Georges Wildenstein and Domenica Walter, the widow of

Paul Guillaume Paul Guillaume (; 1891 in Paris – 1934 in Paris) was a French art dealer. Dealer of Chaïm Soutine and Amedeo Modigliani, he was one of the first to organize African art exhibitions. He also bought and sold many works from cutting-edge artists ...

. In 1969, he created a series of paintings about the murder of

Sharon Tate Sharon Marie Tate Polanski (January 24, 1943 – August 9, 1969) was an American actress and model. During the 1960s, she appeared in advertisements and small television roles before appearing in films as well as working as a model. After receiv ...

by members of the

Manson Family The Manson Family (known among its members as the Family) was a Intentional community, commune, gang, and cult led by criminal Charles Manson that was active in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The group at its peak consisted of a ...

. His exhibition of these paintings toured through France, Belgium, and Japan. On 26 January 1986, at the age of 77, Lorjou died from an acute asthma attack at his home in

Saint-Denis-sur-Loire Saint-Denis-sur-Loire (, literally ''Saint-Denis on Loire'') is a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department in Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is a suburb of Blois, 7 km northeast of the town, and lies on the river Loire, 63 km southwes ...

. Lorjou’s body of work includes thousands of paintings, a collection wood engravings, ceramic and bronze sculptures, lithographs, illustrated books, socially oriented posters, stained glass windows, and murals.

Theme exhibitions (selection)

Commissioned works

References

*Gerard, Georges. Lorjou, le peintre du siecle (Collection Les Temoins de l'histoire). France: Publisud, 1989. *Crespelle, J.P. “LORJOU, Dernier Grand de la Butte.” Montmartre Vivant. Ed. Hachette. France: Hachette, 1964. 249-273.

External links