One of the great figuratives artists of the 20th century

Jean Langlois was born in Nancy, March 8, 1923. He started sketching when he was 16 years old and registered at The Beaux Arts School of Algiers (then French Algeria) in 1940 and later, in 1941, at the Arts Appliqués School in Paris before joining the Free French Forces that fought in Germany. After the war he was nominated principal teacher at the Ecole Supérieure des Arts Modernes in Paris where he worked during 44 years from 1947 to 1991. A position that allowed him plenty of free time to paint and create without any concerns about being « commercial » or the size of his paintings.

One can divide his work in two periods : a « brown period » that lasted until the late ’70’s and a « colorist » one when he discovered acrylic and abandoned oil paint as well as canvas that he replaced with boards of medium density wood fibre. This changes had a profound influence on his choice of colors and of subjects.

In 1989 he moved to Gron, a little village located near the city of Sens in Burgundy, and opened a 1000 square feet studio in which he took inspiration from elements found in his environment such as a staircase or the landscape seen from his door and windows. He also painted various objects that he chose and collected for their shape and/or color : Japanese armors, African masks, folding partitions, fabrics, etc…not forgetting his dog, his cat and even relatives caught during a visit…

Using key words of your choice, enter the universe of the painter’s studio!