about jean dubuffet

The study of famous people and their works is an integral aspect of scholarly study. The research into their thoughts both tells the public of the motivations behind their work and encourages future work. Jean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet is one of those artists who made an indelible impression on the world of fine arts. Jean Dubuffet was an artist who sought to forge a new direction of painting and capture photographs that were not traditionally captured. The aim of this essay is to look into Dubuffet's biography, art brut, as well as the motives behind art brut and its effect. The French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, Jean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet, was born on 31st July 1901 in Le Havre France. In the early life of Dubuffet, the young man attended Academie Julian with the aim of studying painting. The school was in Paris so in 1918, Jean Dubuffet moved from Le Harve. Historians claim that Dubuffet disliked authority from a tender age and soon left the art school in Paris. Jean claimed that he was savage and rebelled against categories of artists labeled as futurists, so he then studied art independently. Jean Dubuffet died on 12th May 1985.

Art Brut

The term art brut is a French phrase which when translated into English means raw art. The phrase art brut is attributed to Jean Dubuffet; art scholars credit this category of art to the artist. Dubuffet is known for rebelling against the norm in the society; art brut stems from a rejection of the societal norms and the prevalent as well as expected art in this period in history. Art brut, therefore, describes a category of fine art which utilizes forms such as graffiti, which were not included in the traditional fine art academics.

Jean Dubuffet went on a quest after the Liberation in 1945; he sought after expressions of art captured by different individuals in the society. The traditional way was guided by the art culture taught in the fine art schools. However, art brut was art produced by the illiterate people in the society, the untrained and isolated individuals (Minturn, 2004). Jean Dubuffet considered the work of these individuals uncontaminated. The artist came across the work of Augustine Forestier who was a patient at a mental hospital and was impressed. Dubuffet considered this type of art raw as it captured raw feelings without the intention of production as art.

The artist was drawn to these kinds of work because of the belief that various individuals were left out of the art scope because of their lack of academic training in art. He believed that art brut incorporated artwork from all sorts of people who thoughts were not influenced by cultural and societal constraints. Art brut as collected by Jean Dubuffet contained pieces of art which would normally be considered unattractive. He saw these forms of work as a raw depiction of human thoughts. Art brut told a raw story which conventional art did not possess.

Dubuffet’s Artworks

One of Dubuffet’s artwork is The Cow with the Subtle Nose. The piece of artwork was produced in 1954. The artist uses a heavily textured surface which art scholars argue depicts the innocence of people in psychiatric hospitals (The Art Story). The work is raw and reflects that of an untrained person. The insiders of art would argue that the piece of work lacks refinement.

Another piece of artwork by Dubuffet is the Soul of the Underground. The artist uses aluminum foil to present a coarse surface. The work of art depicts the implications of the Second World War. Insider artists would argue against this piece of work because it rejects any pictorial representation. The aim was to show that civilization had come to an end as a result of the destructive war.

Collections of Art Brut

Jean Dubuffet began collecting art brut in 1945. Over the years the works of Jean Dubuffet, as well as other works which the artist collected in the category of art brut, have been conserved in the Collection De L’art Brut of Lausanne Museum (Collection de l’Art Brut, 2017). The collection constitutes of over 5000 works. Among them is the 1949 collection by Jean Dubuffet which took place in Paris.

Dubuffet’s Truthfulness

Dubuffet is neither a mentally ill individual nor a child but uses these features in art brut because he considers himself an outsider artist. Even though Dubuffet was taken to art school, Jean dropped out six months later because he rejected the ideas at the art schools. Dubuffet went out to the world where he taught himself art. He was inspired by the works of individuals who received no formal art training claiming that their work was pure and raw. The depictions of art by Dubuffet were a true depiction of who he was both as an artist and as a person because they followed his unconstrained way of thinking. The artist rejected the normal societal thinking in art and as a result formed a different path. In doing so, he achieved the artistic freedom which he sought after. Dubuffet defined a different path of art which expressed that truly felt with restrictions of a framework.

Conclusion

Jean Dubuffet’s art depicts work of an individual and artist who throughout his life sought to achieve a different perspective of the world. Dubuffet rejected conventional views of the world and those of the art schools. The artist trained himself and acknowledged the spirit, energy and the unconstrained thoughts of individuals who were regarded as outsiders in the art community.

References

Collection de l’Art Brut, S. (2017). Collection de l’Art Brut, Lausanne, Switzerland. Artbrut.ch. Retrieved 11 May 2017, from http://www.artbrut.ch/en/21092/-%20Lartbrut_de_Jean_Dubuffet

Minturn, K. (2004). Dubuffet, Lévi-Strauss, and the Idea of Art Brut. Res: Anthropology And Aesthetics, 46, 247-258. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/resv46n1ms20167651

The Art Story. Jean Dubuffet Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works. The Art Story. Retrieved 11 May 2017, from http://www.theartstory.org/artist-dubuffet-jean-artworks.htm#pnt_3