Jean Rouppert (1887-1979), "and After?", 1913

Jean ROUPPERT (1887-1979)
Et Après ?, 1913
Black pencil, white gouache and watercolor on paper
Signed "JR" and dated "1-11-13" lower right
Titled "et après ?" in the composition
Studio stamp on the back
46.5 x 33 cm
frame 50 x 40 cm
Provenance: artist's studio

Born in Custines near Nancy in 1887, Jean Rouppert grew up in a working-class environment. Self-taught, he showed an innate gift for drawing from childhood and, from the age of 14, produced portraits, caricatures and other animal studies. Back in Lorraine after joining the colonial army, he worked a few small jobs before submitting his plates to the Établissements Émile Gallé, which he joined in 1913.

The quality of his work quickly made him climb the ladder. First employed as a glass decorator, he became a designer and then a drawing teacher. He provided numerous suggestions for designs intended to decorate vases, lamps, furniture and art objects. He focused on drawing flowers, shrubs, insects and excelled in the animal register, between naturalism and symbolism.

Mobilized in August 1914, he returned to the factory after the War, where he remained from 1919 to 1924. In 1925, he moved to Lyon, where he first worked as a designer for the silk manufacturer Dubuis before having his own independent workshop. From then on, he regularly participated in the Salon d'Automne, the Salon de la Société lyonnaise des beaux-arts and the Salon des Amis des arts de Roanne. He settled in Saint-Alban-les-Eaux in 1932, on his wife's land in Roanne.

A prolific artist, Jean Rouppert experimented with various artistic techniques: pencil drawing, pen drawing, enhanced with gouache or colored with watercolor, but also wood carving. The themes that punctuate his work are also varied. Known for his war drawings and caricatures that demonstrate the sensitive view he takes of the world around him, he remained faithful to the animal register. He sometimes depicts familiar domestic animals, sometimes exotic animals, and fantastic animals in the 1970s.

The work we are presenting is dated November 1, 1913. It depicts a monkey's head, with wide eyes and a wide open mouth. Titled "et après ?" in a typical Art Nouveau font, this drawing, made the year the artist joined the Établissements Gallé, remains very enigmatic.