Jean Duranel

Born in 1946 in Fécamp, Seine-Maritime, France, Jen Duranel began as an autodidact and then studied at the fine arts schools of Rouen and Paris. He lives and works in France. This atypical artist defines himself as an amused witness of the world around us. He chooses the scenes of our daily life and our habits as the subject of his paintings. His scenes come to life in a colorful figuration, unreal and devoid, in appearance, of the usual logic. "Le chat botté" Oil on canvas 130 x 97 cm In Duranel's work, the eye at any moment travels, free as air. 

The glance does not cease going from one edge to the other of the canvas, solicited by characters, animals, landscapes, musical instruments, objects... Each thing seems to give birth to another which itself opens up to a new interpretation that owes nothing to chance. His scenes are the narration of real stories from all over the world, constructed with harmony and humor and which trace, in the space of a painting, all our reality and our imagination. The clear and vivid colors, almost strident in some works, are posed without seeking volume or effects of matter; it is the strong contrasts that create the forms in an absence of perspective. The elements seem as if cut out so much their contours stand out with precision and sharpness. With humour but lucidity, Jean Duranel lets guess the thoughts behind the appearance.

 Ref: 1- "Fifteen years of contemporary painting as seen by Dominique Stal, in the work of 61 painters. 1985-2000» 

2- Text published in the brochure of the Duranel exhibition at the Château de Vascoeuil Nov 2007