“Le Geai” (The Jay)

Features

Signed, Framed

Size

Medium (up to 36in.)

Color

Beige

- Provenance: original artwork signed “C. Génisson ~ 1961” upper left center This piece was purchased in Europe in the 1960s and has since been part of the Winter family collection of Accokeek, Maryland. - Media: oil on canvas - Artwork Dimensions: 18 1/8”h x 21 3/4"v - Frame Dimensions: 24 1/4"h x 27 7/8"v - Condition: excellent, could use some re-stretching at the corners Claude Génisson was born in Paris on August 27, 1927 a hyperrealist and known for his meticulous and detailed technique. In 1954 he relocated to Douai in the north of France and there enjoyed an extensive career spanning from at least 1956 to the late 1990s. He created more than 700 works in a variety of media, including oil, gouache, lithograph, and graphite. His paintings often feature landscapes and fantastical scenes, sometimes inspired by literary works like those of Alejo Carpentier. Some of the finest examples of his work include “Souvenir de la Villa d’Este”, “La tour de Babel”, and the later graphite work “Vénus Atargatis”. These works showcase his hyperrealistic style requiring as much as 9000 hours of work on larger pieces, and frequent use of mythological, fantastical, and classical themes. Génisson died in Arras on January 21, 2023. Reminiscent of the still life work of late 19th and early 20th century American painters such as Richard La Barre Goodwin, and Alexander Pope Jr., Génisson utilizes his meticulously precise detail for a traditional Trompe-l’oeil effect, where the backdrop was intended to be camouflaged against the actual wood paneling of the gallery where the work was to hang, thus expanding the illusion of realism. The shadow is cast by each element upon the background surface. The subject is fully contained within the frame, to enhance the illusion of being within the viewer’s grasp. From the texture of the feathers, to the grain of the wooden background, every aspect is rendered with photographic accuracy. Even the artist’s signature is cleverly worked into the painting as if it were a note pinned to the wall.

Style

Realism

Medium

Oil