Sculpture - Running Boar , Irénée Félix René Rochard (1906-1984) - Bronze

Bronze print , with nuanced brown patina representing a running wild boar , by Irénée Rochard (1906-1984) .
The wild boar has an imposing appearance , a stocky body , a massive head , long tusks and strong hooves .
Bronze signed "I.ROCHARD" , hollow , on the naturalist terrace , richly chiseled .
Old edition bronze , 20th century period , Art-Deco .
Very good state of conservation and patina .

Irénée Félix René Rochard (1906-1984)

Irénée Rochard is a French animal sculptor , born in January 1906 in Villefranche-sur-Saône in Auvergne-Rhône - Alpes .

Coming from a family of artists , he turned to this path very early .
From 1924 to 1928 , Irénée Rochard studied at the Schools of Fine Arts and Decorative Arts .
In 1938 , Irénée Rochard joined the Society of French Artists and obtained several prizes and distinctions for his sculptures .

During the inter-war period , the young artist met François Pompom , Édouard Sandoz and other artists from the world of animal sculpture .
Irénée Rochard then realizes that working on this theme appeals to him and decides to embark on this practice .
If Irénée Rochard appreciates the sculpture of animals so much , it is because it allows him to “ pay homage ” to them . 
Its objective is to show their personality and bring out the most important aspects of their personality , their softness or their fierceness .
The realism of his sculptures is also the result of very great observation skills for the time .
Its rigor and the harmony of its production place it in an Art Deco style .

At the time , the sculptor worked mainly from bronze , but also created figurines in ceramic , wood, granite or even marble .
His work has always stood out from that of others thanks to its modern style and the elegance and grace of its forms . 
This aesthetic was inspired by the work of François Pompon and Édouard-Marcel Sandoz . 
Irénée Rochard will also dedicate part of his career to a collaboration with the Italian sculptor Ugo Ciprani . 

From the end of his studies , his work was appreciated by the public and the critics .
The dozens of awards he received during his career , including the Taylor Prize (1960) and the Institut des Beaux-Arts Prize (1973) , demonstrate the interest shown in his work .
The sculptor died in January 1984 in Paris .