Jean Joachim

JEAN JOACHIM (France, 1905 - 1990).
"Female bust", c. 1940.
Patinated bronze and wooden base.
Presents stamp of the foundry E. Godard.
Signed.
Measurements: 33 x 21 x 23.5 cm; 48 cm (total height with base).
The frontality of the composition, the symmetry of the features and the reduction of the anatomical details give the figure a monumental presence that transcends the individualization of the portrait to approach an ideal of serene and timeless beauty.realized in a turbulent period of European history, the work reflects a sculptural trend that sought balance, harmony and permanence in the face of the uncertainty of the time. The smoothly modeled surfaces and the compact construction of the head reveal influences of modern French sculpture, particularly those tendencies that favored purity of form over descriptive naturalism.
Jean Joachim Supéry, known artistically as Jean Joachim, was a French sculptor specialized in animalistic representation and considered one of the main continuators of the tradition of François Pompon. His work is characterized by the synthesis of forms, the softness of volumes and a stylization that combines realism and abstraction.
Joachim learned the technique of direct carving in the workshop of his father, also a sculptor, and later completed his training at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. In 1922 he produced L'Ours blanc (The White Bear), a sculpture executed in both Carrara marble and Lens stone, commissioned by the Musée du Luxembourg.Among his earliest notable works is a slightly larger than life-size gorilla, carved in granite between 1960 and 1961. The piece, weighing approximately three and a half tons, was presented in 1980 at the Salon des Artistes Animaliers held at the Grand Palais.
In addition to his artistic activity, Joachim developed an important teaching career at the École Nationale des Arts Appliqués and the École des Métiers d'Art. He shared a workshop with his brother in the town of Malakoff, in Rue Le Planquet, opposite the Rudier foundry, one of the most prestigious in France, and received numerous public commissions throughout his career, including a monumental sculpture for the Notre-Dame de Malakoff institution. He regularly participated in exhibitions of animalistic art and was awarded the prestigious Édouard-Marcel Sandoz Prize in 1975, a recognition that highlighted his contribution to this genre of sculpture.
The influence of François Pompon is evident in his artistic production. However, Jean Joachim developed his own language in which the simplification of forms and the roundness characteristic of his master are combined with a special attention to certain anatomical details. This tension between formal purification and stylization gives his sculptures a singular identity within 20th century French animalistic sculpture.