Still life with bread and a black pot - Jean COUTY (1907 -1991)

Jean Couty, born in Lyon in 1907, is a versatile artist whose career has been nourished by both his studies in architecture and his passion for painting. After eight years studying architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Lyon and then in Paris, Couty also worked as a painter. His work was not confined to painting, but also extended to the design of theater sets and wall decorations, enabling him to explore a wide range of forms and techniques.
Couty is particularly renowned for his depictions of familiar landscapes, ordinary workers and everyday objects, as well as for his religious subjects. Early in his career, he adopted a free, simple and traditional style, before turning to a more characteristic approach, in which he paints clearly defined shapes and uses vivid colors, applied in thick layers. This technique gives his works a vibrant texture and great visual power.

As a member of the Lyon school, he exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants in Paris from 1935 to 1940, at the Salon des Peintres Témoins de leur Temps, and at the Biennale de Menton, where he was awarded first prize in 1953. He also held numerous solo exhibitions, notably in Lyon and Paris between 1945 and 1989. His most notable retrospectives were at the Galerie Larock-Granoff in Paris in 1997 and at the Musée Paul Dini in Villefranche-sur-Saône in 2002.
Jean Couty has also received posthumous recognition. In 2017, a museum was dedicated to him in Lyon, the Musée Jean Couty, highlighting his work and its impact on art in Lyon and beyond. His work, imbued with simplicity and poetry, marked its era and continues to captivate art lovers.

This painting by Jean Couty, depicting a still life with a black cauldron and a loaf of bread on a table, conveys the simplicity and richness of everyday life, while creating an atmosphere imbued with symbolism. The cauldron, emblematic of the kitchen and the central element of the home, contrasts with the bread, essential to sustenance, introducing a duality of function and simplicity.
Couty's impasto painting technique is a striking choice. Impasto adds texture to the canvas surface, reinforcing the materiality of the objects while distancing the work from any desire for realism. The thick, visible brushstrokes make the still life more expressive, creating a sensation of relief and presence. This tactile approach lends the work an almost sculptural dimension, as if the objects seem to emerge from the canvas.
The color palette, dominated by dark, earthy tones, accentuates the painting's sober, silent atmosphere. The black cauldron, symbolizing the domestic function, is highlighted by shades of gray and green in the background, creating a depth that contrasts with the warmth of the bread. The bread, painted in shades of gold and brown, evokes the warmth of the hearth, while at the same time symbolizing life and sustenance.