Claude Venard became known for his rich impasto and varying textures. The artist participated in the acclaimed École de Paris group exhibitions at the Galerie Carpentier and helped found the revolutionary Salon de Mai in 1944, which played an essential role promoting avant-garde abstract painters in Paris.
Claude Venard’s unique and alluring compositions developed through the Post-Cubist method, deftly combining abstraction and naturalism. Coupled with his use of vibrant and strong colour, often applied with a palette knife to achieve a rich impasto, Venard’s optimistic attitude and obvious enjoyment of life imbues everyday objects and his views of Paris with an undeniably French joie de vivre. The artist said of his approach to his paintings “One must be wary of works that seduce at first sight; I do not mean that ugliness is a virtue, but a painting should be powerful without the use of trite devices.”
DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 51.2 x 63.0 in./ 130.0 x 160.0 cm
SIGNATURE: Signed lower left
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas
