This energetic work is a fine example of Claude Venard’s paintings. Through the use of thick impasto and of bold geometric lines, Venard has created a still-life full of dynamism. The paint seems to have been applied roughly with a pallet knife- a method that Venard used in his later works- creating a raw and visceral version of the geometric aesthetic.

The bold lines of the kitchen utensils and of the table are scratched into the paint with a knife, giving energy to the scene and the objects a life of their own. The strong geometric lines, rich colour palette and abstracted composition turns Still Life into a modern masterpiece.

Provenance

Private Collection, United States

Biography

Born in Paris in 1913, Venard started training as a painter at the age of 17 at the École des Arts Appliqués in Paris. Next he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, but soon had to abandon his studies to earn a living as he began working as a picture restorer at the Louvre Museum, which is where the majority of his art education came from.

Venard began by favouring the traditional principles of craftsmanship, even participating in the first exhibition for the Forces Nouvelles group in 1936, also including artists like Pierre Tal-Coat and André Marchand. However, later on he would rebel against this style with members of the same group forging the aesthetic of the immediate post-war period of the École de Paris. Thus, following his service in the army after World War Two, Venard focused fully on his artistic career, and began utilising a wider colour palette. He continually participated in the acclaimed École de Paris group exhibitions at the Galerie Carpentier, along with helping found the revolutionary Salon de Mai in 1944 which played an essential role in promoting avant-garde abstract painters in Paris at the time.

He held numerous successful one man shows, including at the galleries Bernheim-Jeune in Paris in 1953, exhibitions in London at the Leicester Gallery, the Lefevre Gallery and he also became a regular exhibitor at American establishments like, The Fine Arts Association, the Knoedler Gallery and the Kleeman Gallery. Overall, Venard had a highly successful career until his death in 1999, becoming internationally renowned by showing in Chicago, Milan, Geneva, Tokyo, Munich, San Francisco, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Dallas, Buenos Aires, Philadelphia, Montreal, and practically all the capitals of Europe, and at the Venice Biennale in 1956.

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