Fine Art M.S. Rau | La Terrasse Devant La Mer By Jean Pierre Cassigneul

Jean-Pierre Cassigneul
B.1935 | French

La Terrasse Devant La Mer
(The Terrace By The Sea)

Signed “Cassigneul” (Lower Left)
Oil On Canvas Laid On Panel

This Monumental, Three-Paneled Oil Painting Is Among The Largest Ever Composed By The Celebrated French Painter Jean-Pierre Cassigneul. Capturing A Woman In Grey Against A Windswept Seascape, The Composition Is Classic Cassigneul, Exuding A Serenity And Sophistication That Is Unique To His Aesthetic. Triptychs Are Highly Rare In The Artist’S Oeuvre, And The Panels Can Be Displayed Apart Or Attached. Renowned For His Portraits That Bring Together Brilliant Pops Of Color With An Atmosphere Of Elegance And Tranquility, Cassigneul’S Upbringing In French Fashion Is Keenly Felt In The Composition, As He Brings The Chic Parisian Ideal To Life.

One Of The Most Famous Living French Artists, Cassigneul Is Set Apart By His Unique Ability To Produce Works That Feel Both Dramatically Contemporary And Classic In Style. La Terrasse Devant La Mer Brings Together Two Of His Most Common Tropes: A Sleepy-Eyed Beauty And A Vibrantly Hued Landscape. The Green Colors Of The Sea And The Dusky Sky Provide A Sharp Contrast To The Central Figure, Whose Large Hat And Billowing Scarf Exude A Timeless Fashion. With Its Vivid, Rich Palette And Flat Spatial Planes, Cassigneul’S Style Follows In The Tradition Of The French Post-Impressionist Group Known As Les Nabis, Which Included Celebrated French Artists Such As Pierre Bonnard, Edouard Vuillard And Maurice Denis. Expressionist Painter Kees Van Dongen Was Another Important Influence On The Young Cassigneul, Whose Portraits Resemble Van Dongen’S Elongated, Sharply Contoured Female Forms.

Born In Paris In 1935, Cassigneul’S Grandfather Was The Founder Of The Ground-Breaking French Fashion House Jean Dessès. Raised Among The Glamor And Excitement Of The Parisian Fashion World, The Young Cassigneul Observed Models, Dressmakers And Runway Shows From A Very Young Age. His Interest In Art Also Manifested Early, And He Painted His First Landscape At Deauville At The Young Age Of 12. He Studied At The École Des Beaux-Arts, Holding His First One-Man Exhibition At Just 17 Years Of Age. Since That First Show, His Work Has Been Widely Exhibited Worldwide, Particularly In Western Europe, The United States And Japan, Where He Enjoys An Especially Devoted Following.

Painted 1975

Triptych: 51 1/4″ High X 71” Wide
Panel: 51 1/4” High X 23 1/2” Wide X 1 3/8″ Deep