Cassigneul has been painting his extraordinary work since the 1950’s.  His first show was in 1952 in Paris, when he was just 17 years old. He is known for creating works of women in floral hats that often reflect the fashion or the trends of the time. Jean Pierre Cassigneul’s color pallet is bright and vivid. When you take a closer look at this artist, you will see that his style is based on some interesting influences from the late 19thth – early20th century.

The Post-Impressionist group called Les Nabis began painting in the 1890s. Les Nabis means “the prophets” in Hebrew. The group was made up of artists Edouard Vuillard, Pierre Bonnard, Maurice Denis and Félix Vallotton and others. Jean Pierre Cassigneul was strongly influenced by this movement and group of artists. Les Nabis were considered very avant-garde at the time. Their paintings used of bright or flat colors, compressed or multiple spaces to portray everyday subject matter. They were also inspired by Japanese colored woodblock prints and decorative arts that were just starting to trend in England. Looking at Cassigneul’s paintings, you can see this influence clearly.

Cassignuel paintings embrace the flat, bright colors forming his compositions. The frequent use of a dark outline to define the shape of a sailboat or a woman’s silhouette are reminiscent of woodblock imagery. His subjects are also of everyday scenes as if you have just walked into a moment in time. But it was not just Les Nabis that influenced Cassigneul. Expressionist painter Kees Van Dongen also had a great influence on Cassigneul, especially for his dramatic portraits that incorporated bright, vivid colors.

Kees Van Dongen is also known for painting subjects of flowers and woman. The woman in his artwork were elongated and had sharp contours.  He also stylized their faces giving them large eyes and mouth. The woman in a Jean Pierre Cassigneul painting incorporate some of the same styling.

Jean Pierre Cassigneul is beloved by collectors all over the world for his beautiful paintings that transport his viewers to a familiar time. When you take a closer look at the influences that made him such as successful artist, you begin to feel more connected to man behind the paint brush. He is now 78 years old and still painting in Paris. 

Kenny Ackerman is an Art Dealer in New York, specializing in Fine Art Paintings from 19th-21st century Europe and America. To buy or sell original paintings by artists we represent, contact Ackerman’s Fine Art here.