Jared French (American, 1905-1987). Architetture Italiana, circa 1960. Casein, tempera, and pencil on board. 30-3/4 x 11...

Description

Jared French (American, 1905-1987)
Architetture Italiana, circa 1960
Casein, tempera, and pencil on board
30-3/4 x 11-3/4 inches (78.1 x 29.8 cm)

PROVENANCE:
The artist;
Estate of the above;
Swann Galleries, New York, June 12, 2014, lot 193;
Private collection, Saddle River, New Jersey, acquired from the above.

LITERATURE:
A. Panzetta, Jared French by Jared French, Turin, Italy, 2010, p. 208, no. 356.

Jared French's paintings, Architetture Italiana (circa 1960) and Spectators (1963), evoke a synthesis of Surrealism, classical architecture, and Modernist precision, forming a unique exploration of space, structure, and human presence. Both works reflect French's signature ability to intertwine architectural forms with emotional and metaphysical inquiry, highlighting his interest in psychological undercurrents within rigidly controlled environments. His use of Magical Realism enhances this dynamic, imbuing everyday scenes with an otherworldly aura that blurs the line between reality and dream.

In Architetture Italiana, French presents an imagined cityscape of towering, geometric structures that recall the serene, ordered forms of Italian Renaissance architecture, the artist's employment of tempera calling to mind paintings from the same period. The buildings are rendered with soft, muted earth tones, accentuating their volumetric precision and spatial relationships. The absence of human figures emphasizes the monumental and almost abstract quality of the architecture, creating an atmosphere of contemplative isolation. The influence of Italian metaphysical art, particularly Giorgio de Chirico's enigmatic urban scenes, is evident in French's restrained palette and the quiet, dreamlike emptiness of the setting. The painting invites the viewer to ponder the spaces between the buildings, the implied narratives of their inhabitants, and the quiet tension between the past and the timeless present. The infusion of Magical Realism in this work lies in its ability to transform ordinary architecture into something imbued with mystery and existential weight, suggesting a parallel reality beneath the surface of the physical world.

Spectators, on the other hand, introduces human figures into a similarly structured architectural environment. The scene depicts a solitary man in black standing before a pink church-like building with a tall spire, framed by other colorful yet similarly austere buildings. Bologna's medieval Asinelli tower is called to mind. French's precise, almost hyper-realistic handling of form gives the scene a stylized, theatrical quality. The figures, though minimal and remote, evoke an existential stillness and an unsettling sense of detachment from their surroundings. Magical Realism surfaces in the tension between the mundane details of the buildings and the enigmatic, almost otherworldly presence of the human figure. The composition is meticulously ordered, yet the human element creates a subtle tension, suggesting themes of observation, isolation, and the search for meaning within rigid societal structures.

Both works encapsulate French's exploration of the human condition through the lens of architecture and urban space. The juxtaposition of the monumental with the intimate, and the interplay of absence and presence, reflect his broader artistic inquiry into the boundaries of the physical and metaphysical world.


More information about Jared French. See also: French, Jared Artist.

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