Ours bruns, c.1930
Oil on paper, signed lower right.
62 x 72 cm
History:
Jouve used this composition to illustrate Colette's Paradis Terrestres. He included it in the dedication page to Madame Leclerq-Delaoutre, who had suggested the idea of the book to publisher Gonin.
Provenance :
Private collection, France
Exhibitions :
Société des Artistes Décorateurs, Paris, May 15 - July 31, 1930 (exhibited with the first woodcuts intended for the illustration of Paradis Terrestres)
Exposition du groupe des artistes animaliers, Galerie Edgar Brandt, Paris, November 25 - December 25, 1930
Le monde animal dans l'art décoratif des années 30, Paul Jouve et Gaston Suisse, Ville de Valbonne, July 7 - 29, 2007, no. 24.
Bibliography :
Christian Eludut , Le monde animal dans l'art décoratif des années 30, Paul Jouve et Gaston Suisse, Les éditions BGO, Paris 2007, reproduced on p.55.
Félix Marcilhac, Paul Jouve, Les éditions de l'amateur, Paris 2005, reproduced on p.245.
Certificate of authenticity issued by M. Dominique Suisse.
Paul Jouve – Brown Bears (c. 1930)
This painting by Paul Jouve powerfully depicts two brown bears. The composition is striking for the dark mass of the animals, with strong contours shaped by light into broad, simplified planes.
Jouve, a master of the modern bestiary, combines here the rigor of drawing with an almost architectural stylization. The adult bear, protective, and the younger bear turning towards it embody both the strength and the tenderness of the animal. Their monumental volumes, reduced to essential forms, echo the language of sculpture.
Created around 1930, this work reflects the artistic maturity of Paul Jouve, recognized as one of the greatest French animal artists of the 20th century. His representations of lions, tigers, panthers, and bears established him as a major figure in animal painting and sculpture, celebrated internationally.
Galerie Alexis Pentcheff – Marseille
Specialist in animal and modern artists, the gallery offers for sale works by Paul Jouve, along with those of other masters of 20th-century animal art.