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His name is Jean-Louis Toutain and his sculptures took my breath away the first time I saw one, this one, “MATERNITÉE,” Motherhood, which only seems right as you can see in the photo, that the children were playing on it and no one told them not to. Toutain’s art is like that. Inviting one in to play. Inviting one in to remember childhood, or love, or standing in the rain, or dancing, or running. A round and juicy “derrière” peeking out under a short skirt, flirting with our senses and making us smile. That’s what drew me to him and kept me following him. I found his art in small towns and large and each time took a photo. Because his work makes me smile. Makes me content to be of his race, human. I hope you enjoy his works in this post because to me he is unique. The fact that he came from Toulouse makes him all the more special to me. We lost him in 2008 but his works remind us that he would want us to smile when we think of him. I will try to make this bio of him very short while hoping you’ll follow some of these links to learn more about him. Sorry, but a lot of them are only in French…If you go to this LINK, it will show you the adorable artwork he has on his biography page of his site…
Jean-Louis Toutain was born in Toulouse, France May 17, 1948. His passion
for art began very early on and at age 14 he entered the Beaux Arts de Toulouse
school. He apprenticed to learn to work with ceramics and worked for ad
agencies for the experience. On October 21, 1972 he got married and they had
their first child a year later. He decorated, he worked in printing, and in 1976
he and his wife had a second child. He dallied in a mélange of different work,
even brick laying, and industrial design as well as ergonomics. In 1987 he
decided to only spend his time at work on the ART laying in his heart. In 1991 he was given the medal of Best Workers
in France “Meilleurs Ouvriers de France” for his sculpturing and decorating
talents and in 1995, the city of Toulouse bought his first large sculpture, “Maternitee.”
He was always involved in every step of the process in building his creations
because it all came from his head. He left nothing to chance. To accompany an exhibition
of his sculptures, he began to paint seriously, and so presented at his first personal
exposition drawings and painting in the theme of the circus. Whatever art he
created Toutain gave us the familiar, the human, the essence of us, and he made
us smile. He died in 2008… (translated as best I can from his site.)
You can find a good collection of photos of his statues HERE...
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| Maternitée, (Motherhood), with decoration! |
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This one we found in Martre Tolosane near Toulouse. |
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| Serenade Nocturne (Nocturnal Serenade) |
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Le Maître Nageur ( The swimming teacher)
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Serenade en terrasse (serenade on the terrace)
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| With his medal: “Meilleurs Ouvriers de France” |
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| Bisou sous la pluie (Kiss under the Rain) |
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| The master at work... |
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| Came upon the lovers on the couch and their company in Blagnac's park... |
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| The smoothness exudes quiet. The Bear. |
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| The flirty skirt seen often in Toutain's work. |
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| Majesty and passion all in one. |
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| Not only do I love his sculptures, but I also love his colors. |
Great pics and such a unique style :)
ReplyDeleteFound another blog on the a to z using Unique today! I'm on my way over to yours now...!
DeleteThose statues are silly - of course they invite children to play on them.
ReplyDeleteAren't they though? Maybe that's why I like them so much! His paintings and drawings have the same lightness of being to them, only with color.
DeleteVery cool style! I enjoyed this post :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
DeleteDefinitely a recognizable style. I wonder what his "thing" was with those tiny heads and big legs. I really like the colors in his paintings.
ReplyDeleteWendy at Jollett Etc.
Me too, wondered the same thing, but it sure seems to have worked for him! Thanks for coming by and commenting...
DeleteVery unique art, and I can see how his work welcomes children. Very nice.
ReplyDeleteDeb@ http://debioneille.blogspot.com
Yes Debi, and I love to discover his work when least expecting it... Thanks for coming by and commenting.
DeleteWhat a well presented blog. Thank you for making it worthwhile to have stopped by during the #atozchallenge. Interested in the post, but intrigued with your About Me, such an interesting life you have created. As an author myself, I admire your prolific writing life. Congratulations on this contribution to the blogging world.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you as well Stepheny for coming by! I just got back from a trip to yours... I hope you're enjoying the A to Z as much as I am. I'm learning SO much!
DeleteGreetings!
ReplyDeleteYou are the only source for Jean-Louis Toutain's art on the images tab of the Bing search. Have you seen the article on the Traditional Home website showing a wonderful home once owned by John Robinson, the owner of the largest circus of his time. The dining room has "The Circus Juggler" painting by Jean-Louis Toutain. I adore it! I'm including the link incase you want to see this adorable piece.
http://www.traditionalhome.com/design/beautiful-homes/three-ring-style?page=7
Thanks for devoting a post to this art. I've enjoyed it.
Thanks so much for the link! I went and pinned it. Love the painting. How interesting that this post is the only thing that pops up because I've found more images on google. Thanks so much for coming by. Which blog of yours did you come from? You have so many! I pinned your reNOUNed one as well!
DeleteJean-Louis Toutain was a great artist and he and his wife were wonderful people. My girlfriend and I met them at a gallery showing of his work in Atlanta in 2001. My girlfriend, Lynda, is an artist and he saw her work and invited us to come to France and Lynda worked with him and other artists in his employ helping to create his monumental sculptures and his small bronze pieces. We stayed for six months and had such an enjoyable time.
ReplyDelete