Jean Dulac (1902-1968) “the Knife And The Bread”

LYON PAINTING - Jean Dulac (1902-1968) "the knife and the bread" - oil on canvas - signed lower right - dated 1958 on the back - format 33 x 55 cm - Jean Dulac was born on February 12, 1902 in Bourgoin ( Isère). His father, after teaching French at the Lachassagne college, worked as a photographer. In 1907 the family moved to Lyon, Jean's adolescence was spent carefree, he was a studious student, and he quickly revealed himself to be an excellent designer. He entered the Ecole des Beaux Arts in 1915, directed by the sculptor Larrivé. Jean will win all the 1st prizes for drawing and sketching. Gifted for sculpture, he became an apprentice in the workshop of Louis Prost, to whom he had boundless admiration, and perfected himself to the point of accumulating numerous prizes and rewards. In conjunction with his studies, he provides intense work for decoration houses in Lyon and produces various works of excellent quality. Bronze, motifs engraved or carved on precious wood, Ivorian, decorative friezes, and finally, religious sculptures. His work is exceptionally rendered, and very elaborate anatomical realism. He created one creation after another and always accumulated prizes and medals, notably the Paris Prize for Sculpture in 1924 on the theme “Baigneuse” (his wife Adrienne serving as his model). From 1926 to 1931, he began a period of intense work, with prestigious Masters: Jean Larrivé, André Vermare and Landowski in Paris. At the end of 1931, Jean, his wife and their son Jean moved to Lyon in the Guillotière district. His workshop is a large 120m2 room with 7 windows on the 5th floor. The view is superb and the light is excellent. There he developed numerous models of chandeliers, decorations for furnishings, bas-reliefs, statues, drawings, sculptures, commemorative medals, genre paintings, models of frescoes... He is a complete artist, nothing is out of its scope. It was from 1938 that he devoted himself to painting. He finds pleasure in this outdoor activity which takes him out of his workshop. Self-taught, he evolved very quickly and quickly revealed himself to be a master in this art, essential to his development. The colors explode in a proportion nuanced with a certain wisdom of its own. He also illustrated “general public” books which contributed to his fame. A teacher, he trains many students in painting and sculpture. He died on March 3, 1968 in Lyon following a heart attack.