Jean Bazaine, the sacred


Jean Bazaine in his studio in Clamart, 1978.

Jean Bazaine (1904-2001) has difficulty putting up with a label. If his work has a sacred dimension, it keeps its secrets. Was the artist marked by the stained glass windows of Chartres cathedral, learning from his master Bonnard? Was he an abstract artist? The world that he delivers to us belongs to him with all its share of mysteries. All his work is the result of a deep inner vision. There is nothing isolated about him, but a fabric in perpetual movement, like a stellar whirlpool. It is not surprising that he has made several stained glass windows for churches and chapels. He exhibited from 1949 until his death in 2001 at the Maeght Gallery, which supported him and published "L'être perdu" and "L'ombre, la branche". These books, in small print runs, reflect his proximity to the poets André Frénaud and Jean Tardieu. All his work follows a slow and sure evolution with its requirements, without gratuity. Always in pursuit of the "hidden meaning of things" dear to Aristotle. Tireless builder, he explores all techniques, the monumental tapestry to burst the twelve coats of arms of the months of the year, the mosaic to decorate the vault of the Cluny metro station in Paris, the sets and costumes of theater. No overwhelming spectacular in his work but a seduction that calls for a pause. A strong and deep beauty reveals itself to the one who gives time to time. Like poetry, Bazaine's painting is to be read, breathed and meditated upon.
Jean Bazaine, Mêlée de l’aube, 1972, oil on canvas, 139 x195 cm.


Jean Bazaine , La Messe de l’homme armé, 1944, oil on canvas, 116 x73 cm.