Just found a great book on Pierre-Albert BEGAUD. He was one of the leaders of the Ecole de Bordeaux between the two world wars and left us powerful family and official portraits which alternate between solid, grounded intimate portraits and far more trendy ones that could have been created by Tamara de Lempicka. The book does mention a portrait -several maybe- he also made of the infamous General Petain during the war -maybe when the disgraced French government escaped the German advance by moving temporarily to Bordeaux. No representation of the portrait(s) is provided and one is left to wonder what happened of them -maybe they’re buried deep in the cellar of an aging son of a “collabo”.
His murals are spectacular, and fans of Tamara de Lempicka will enjoy the combination of art deco, cubism and realist art they represent. They made me realize how rich the period was in murals and commissions that dared push the envelope -if not in graphic style then certainly in symbolism, humor or over the top allegories. Bégaud wasn’t alone producing these gems and the book lists a few more muralists, several of which appear as or more talented than Bégaud himself.
Following his move to Bidarray in the Basque Country, Begaud also became a “regionaliste” and a keen painter of Basque landscapes and characters. He produces simple landscapes and portraits that out Basque the Basque painters themselves both in the matte, earth toned color palette, and theme selection. This is the peak of Basque revival in France, and Begaud follows the lead -but one can tell his heart and soul are in it.
Begaud is at his best however when he escapes decorum, commissions and politics and simply delivers one of his wonderful family portraits. I find the one shown below extraordinary. Judging from the book’s selection, it might very well be the best thing he ever produced. There is an imediacy to the painting that makes one wonder if he used a photo reference. But then, Bégaud could draw fast and well.
Through Begaud we get a glimpse of provincial life in France in the 30s, 40s and 50s. His talent drives us to explore this period so rich in its representation of the human figure yet somehow reduced to a few icons in our memory. He is a master craftsman -a colorist adept at freehand drawing and a muralist not scared off by monumental compositions. With him or behind him obviously stand several other great artists that time and distance are slowly erasing from memory
A series of collages on cotton rag, with outlines and edits in ballpoint pens. The models originated from a collection of airplane magazines as offered on a United flight to London -Fashion magazines and one National Geographic (that’s where the mummy came from).
Flowers
Winter fur
Hunter or hunted?
The Dance
Angel collage
Mummy
Lobby of a hotel – Hong Kong – 2008
