Jean Launois
Encyclopedia
Jean Launois was a French
artist
. Born in Les Sables-d'Olonne
in Vendée
, Launois demonstrated a gift and passion for drawing. His parents encouraged him, but his formal training was limited to working with Charles Milcendeau and later with Auguste Lepère. He had a short stint at the Ecole Julian in Paris
. Launois did many sketches, drawings, and paintings during and after World War I
.
Even before demobilization
in late 1918, Launois returned to his family’s home in Tour on leave. His father took him to Paris and introduced him to the assistant curator of the Luxembourg Palace Museum. Launois showed him his portfolio of drawings he had done during his military service. The Curator
of the Museum, Léonce Bénédite, received permission from the Undersecretary of Arts to purchase 12 of Launois’ drawings for 500 French franc
s. Also in Tour, Launois did a portrait of Anatole France
that was well-received, widely distributed and published in L’Illustration.
n Scholarship (Bourse de l’Algerie). He won the grant, which carried with it a two-year stipend
(room, board
, some cash) at the Villa Abed-el-Tif in Algiers
, 1920–22).
In Algeria, he met Fréderic Lung and Mesley, both serious collectors who purchased many pictures from him. He also met and traveled in the south with Albert Marquet and his future wife, with whom he established a deep, life-long friendship.
tian prince, and traveled roundtrip from Hanoi
to China
by railroad. During his travels, Launois documented his experiences with drawings and sketches that included the indigenous people of the forest and life in the villages and bars. During his short trip to China, he painted a Chinese bride that is in a private collection.
During the late 1920s, Launois traveled frequently between Paris, the Vendée, and Algeria. His first major exposition in 1926 was a great success.
He also illustrated books for Roland Dorgèles, Francis Carco
, and Octave Mirbeau
, which are now collectors’ items.
In 1927, Launois married Aimée Suarès Lévy, the niece of the poet André Suarès
.
While his artistic success continued, his marriage was strained by his independent and free personal life, heavy drinking, and association with the underworld of Paris.
By 1933, and the collapse of the economy, life for the Launois family became difficult. He was forced to trade pictures in return for a living. His in-laws had to sell their Paris apartment.
Although living from hand-to-mouth, Launois continued to travel from Paris to North Africa
during the winter, and in the summer to Saint-Jean-des-Monts, where he led an informal art school.
and Germany
, Launois was mobilized. His health was poor, his legs swollen, and he was suffering from eczema
. After the intervention by well-placed friends, he was relieved of his more onerous duties and reassigned to a camouflage unit. In late 1940s, after the end of the war, he moved to his in-laws’ house in Saint-Tropez
, where he found old friends and continued to paint and exhibit. However, he was restless to return to Algeria.
Launois returned to Algeria in March 1942. His health was failing and he was drinking heavily. His friends assumed responsibility for his needs. On November 22, 1942, he collapsed in a little park in front of the hotel in which he was living in Algiers, and was carried to his room, where he died.
The Museum of the Abbaye de la Sainte-Croix in Les Sables d’Olonne is the depository of an extensive collection of his paintings and drawings and documents. The drawings of Launois purchased by the Museum of the Palace of Luxembourg are now in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art
, Centre Georges Pompidou, Beaubourg, Paris.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
. Born in Les Sables-d'Olonne
Les Sables-d'Olonne
Les Sables-d'Olonne is a seaside town in western France, by the Atlantic Ocean. It is a commune and a sub-prefecture of the Vendée department.-Events:...
in Vendée
Vendée
The Vendée is a department in the Pays-de-la-Loire region in west central France, on the Atlantic Ocean. The name Vendée is taken from the Vendée river which runs through the south-eastern part of the department.-History:...
, Launois demonstrated a gift and passion for drawing. His parents encouraged him, but his formal training was limited to working with Charles Milcendeau and later with Auguste Lepère. He had a short stint at the Ecole Julian in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Launois did many sketches, drawings, and paintings during and after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
World War I
The first World War broke out in 1914. On December 15, 1916, Launois enlisted in the mounted artillery rather than waiting for his “age class” to be inducted. Documentation is scarce on his military service, but he did see action on the Western Front during the winter, spring, and summer of 1917. In late December 1917, his division was sent to the Eastern Front (Italy) where he again saw action. During this time, Launois created many sketches of and studies of French soldiers.Even before demobilization
Demobilization
Demobilization is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and military force will not be necessary...
in late 1918, Launois returned to his family’s home in Tour on leave. His father took him to Paris and introduced him to the assistant curator of the Luxembourg Palace Museum. Launois showed him his portfolio of drawings he had done during his military service. The Curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
of the Museum, Léonce Bénédite, received permission from the Undersecretary of Arts to purchase 12 of Launois’ drawings for 500 French franc
French franc
The franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money...
s. Also in Tour, Launois did a portrait of Anatole France
Anatole France
Anatole France , born François-Anatole Thibault, , was a French poet, journalist, and novelist. He was born in Paris, and died in Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire. He was a successful novelist, with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters...
that was well-received, widely distributed and published in L’Illustration.
Algeria
Later Bénédite purchased additional pictures from Launois and encouraged him to compete for the AlgeriaAlgeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n Scholarship (Bourse de l’Algerie). He won the grant, which carried with it a two-year stipend
Stipend
A stipend is a form of salary, such as for an internship or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from a wage or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work performed, instead it represents a payment that enables somebody to be exempt partly or wholly from waged or salaried...
(room, board
Room and board
Room and board describes a situation where, in exchange for money, labor or other considerations, a person is provided with a place to live as well as meals on a comprehensive basis...
, some cash) at the Villa Abed-el-Tif in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, 1920–22).
In Algeria, he met Fréderic Lung and Mesley, both serious collectors who purchased many pictures from him. He also met and traveled in the south with Albert Marquet and his future wife, with whom he established a deep, life-long friendship.
The 1920s and 1930s
In 1923, Launois won the Indochinese Prize (Le Prix de l’Indochine) of 3,000 francs which included a trip from France to Saigon. His time in Indo-China is well documented by letters home. He trekked by foot, horseback, and boat across the Indo-Chinese peninsula, drifted down the Mekong River on the private raft of a LaoLao people
The Lao are an ethnic subgroup of Tai/Dai in Southeast Asia.-Names:The etymology of the word Lao is uncertain, although it may be related to tribes known as the Ai Lao who appear in Han Dynasty records in China and Vietnam as a people of what is now Yunan Province...
tian prince, and traveled roundtrip from Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
by railroad. During his travels, Launois documented his experiences with drawings and sketches that included the indigenous people of the forest and life in the villages and bars. During his short trip to China, he painted a Chinese bride that is in a private collection.
During the late 1920s, Launois traveled frequently between Paris, the Vendée, and Algeria. His first major exposition in 1926 was a great success.
He also illustrated books for Roland Dorgèles, Francis Carco
Francis Carco
Francis Carco was a French author, born at Nouméa, New Caledonia. He was a poet, belonging to the Fantaisiste school, a novelist, a dramatist, and art critic for L'Homme libre and Gil Blas. During the War he became aviation pilot at Étampes, after studying at the aviation school there...
, and Octave Mirbeau
Octave Mirbeau
Octave Mirbeau was a French journalist, art critic, travel writer, pamphleteer, novelist, and playwright, who achieved celebrity in Europe and great success among the public, while still appealing to the literary and artistic avant-garde...
, which are now collectors’ items.
In 1927, Launois married Aimée Suarès Lévy, the niece of the poet André Suarès
André Suarès
André Suarès was one of the pseudonyms used by Félix-André-Yves Scantrel a French poet and critic....
.
While his artistic success continued, his marriage was strained by his independent and free personal life, heavy drinking, and association with the underworld of Paris.
By 1933, and the collapse of the economy, life for the Launois family became difficult. He was forced to trade pictures in return for a living. His in-laws had to sell their Paris apartment.
Although living from hand-to-mouth, Launois continued to travel from Paris to North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
during the winter, and in the summer to Saint-Jean-des-Monts, where he led an informal art school.
World War II
In 1939, with the declaration of war between FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Launois was mobilized. His health was poor, his legs swollen, and he was suffering from eczema
Eczema
Eczema is a form of dermatitis, or inflammation of the epidermis . In England, an estimated 5.7 million or about one in every nine people have been diagnosed with the disease by a clinician at some point in their lives.The term eczema is broadly applied to a range of persistent skin conditions...
. After the intervention by well-placed friends, he was relieved of his more onerous duties and reassigned to a camouflage unit. In late 1940s, after the end of the war, he moved to his in-laws’ house in Saint-Tropez
Saint-Tropez
Saint-Tropez is a town, 104 km to the east of Marseille, in the Var department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. It is also the principal town in the canton of Saint-Tropez....
, where he found old friends and continued to paint and exhibit. However, he was restless to return to Algeria.
Launois returned to Algeria in March 1942. His health was failing and he was drinking heavily. His friends assumed responsibility for his needs. On November 22, 1942, he collapsed in a little park in front of the hotel in which he was living in Algiers, and was carried to his room, where he died.
The Museum of the Abbaye de la Sainte-Croix in Les Sables d’Olonne is the depository of an extensive collection of his paintings and drawings and documents. The drawings of Launois purchased by the Museum of the Palace of Luxembourg are now in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, Centre Georges Pompidou, Beaubourg, Paris.