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Featured Artist for December 1997
His uncle, Gaston Lhuer, studied under the well known painter, Cormon, in the Beaux Arts academy. He was a subtle and sensitive artist and several of his works were acquired by the Luxembourg Museum in Paris. His father, Victor Lhuer, was a graduate of the school of Decorative Art in Paris and was an illustrator and designer for the famous couturier Paul Poiret. Jean Lhuer also attended the same school. He began as a designer for a manufacturing jeweler and after a required training period, produced designs for the well known jewelry companies in the rue de la Paix; Boucheron, Van Cleef and Arpels, and Mauboussin. At the same time, in the evenings, he followed with great interest the publicity courses given by Jean Carlu. Through Carlu, he became part of the team working for the Universal Exhibition held in Paris in 1937. Jean Carlu referred him to Charles Loupot, one of the top poster artists of the time, and he worked with him on some designs which became classics. The war broke out about this time and Jean was drafted and gave up his studio. He met other artists from previous years and they worked on tables in the Café du Pont. He rented a tiny farm outside the village and worked as a farm laborer to earn his keep. At this time, he met André Tzanck who lived in another village. When the Germans were hunting André, Jean took him in for his safety. Tzanck was an accomplished painter and musician, and their discussions around the fire in the evenings covered a wide range of subjects from graphic arts to music. It was a welcome escape from the daily anxieties of the German occupation. André encouraged him to continue his drawing and painting. Jean Lhuer was now drawing to please himself, and leaving the world of jewelry and publicity completely behind. His work became very different - Using a lead pencil with extraordinary precision and care, he chose scenes of peasant life and portraits. His landscapes are often empty of any human presence, which only shows what is left behind; the forgotten tools in dilapidated buildings or damaged trees.
Early in June 1946, Dr. Daniel Tzanck, André's father, president of the Society of Art Lovers, introduced him to Nina and Jean Dausset who were starting a new gallery, the "Galerie du Dragon". Jean Lhuer was the first artist whose work they displayed. He designed a logo for them that was inspired by the wrought iron dragon over their doorway. The public responded favorably and he was encouraged to continue along the same lines. He realized, however, that his oils had been so much influenced by his friend, André Tzanck, that he decided to give up painting and spend his time on lead-pencil drawing. Losing his vision between 1980 and 1982, he was forced to give up drawing. He had cataract surgery and recovered his sight and his ability. One of his drawings came to the attention of the chairman of International Biscuit who commissioned a drawing exhibit "Industrial Biscuit-Making". This work has been shown all over the world as part of the LU traveling exhibition for the last 11 years.
An exhibit in February 1991 (At the BNP - Banque Nationale de Paris), organized
by Suzanne Lhuer, was a last tribute to him. On this occasion, Jean's son, Bernard
Lhuer (born February 1, 1947) made a short video with the drawings displayed.
It's like a trip through Jean Lhuer's universe (with only jazz background music)
showing the drawings (with close ups and pans) in a different way. About
The Artist His routine for drawing always took the same approach. The starting point was a rough photo or sketch on paper. He'd then compose the contours of the picture on tracing paper. When he was satisfied with the composition, he would draw the contours on the final thick piece of paper using a sheet of tracing paper darkened with pencil, much like carbon paper. This would yield a slight wire frame used for rendering. He worked in 3 different gradations of pencil (Hardtmuth only). The process took several days to several weeks depending of the size and complexity of the drawing. No rubber, no stump, no time for mistakes. Bernard recalls his father having a unique patience for his drawings so detailed that one could put a linen tester on any part of the drawing and see the precision and accuracy. Bernard also showed him some modern (computer) tools for drawing (such as Quantel PaintBox) and Jean enjoyed the experience. He often drew trees, sometimes half-stripped of their leaves, twisted by the wind, and always alone. They are not a part of the landscape; the tree is the central element and are termed Tree Portraits. His drawings use the tiniest of lines from different lead sizes, which renders light foliage as well as the rough surface and strength of centuries-old trees.
Selected Exhibitions
1946 Galerie
du Dragon (Nina Dausset) Paris
Awards
1954
Bronze Medal from the Society for Encouraging Art and Industry. Contact
the Artist A Few Words From the Artist's Son My father never intended to sell his drawings and had given many away to friends. He liked to draw what he wanted regardless of any commercial intent. I also want to mention my father's passion for archeology as he made a collection of tools from the prehistoric period (arrows etc.). Several drawings elude his interest for archeology and many drawings show objects the family still owns. "The Perch" drawing shown in this feature is a very good choice (thanks to Kat). Jean gave it to Mrs. Fourny Dargère to thank her for organizing the Vernon's Museum exhibit. She explained her choice... It was for her like a self portrait of Jean Lhuer. She imagined no one else could sit in this tiny place on top of the roof... except him. I hope many people will enjoy the drawings displayed on ArtQuest and I'll be glad to reproduce and print other drawings like we did for "La Pêche". My father produced around 250 drawings in his lifetime and a selection is presently displayed on ArtQuest. ~ Bernard Lhuer |
Anita Biernat
Jean Lhuer was born May 5th, 1910 at N°26 of the Quai de Béthune on the île St.
Louis in Paris. He came from quite a long line of artists. One of his great grandfathers
was a stage designer and painter of stage sets. 
The retreat left him in the
South of France where he was released from the Army, but he did not return to
Paris. He was unwilling to work for the Germans and settled in St. Restitut, a
tiny village where he had stayed the previous year. The area suited him with the
rather dry, bare landscapes so he began to draw again. 
With André Tzanck's encouragement,
he began using oil paints for his landscapes and portraits. He also did a fine
portrait of Alice Oudot, a family he stayed with in Mirabel until 1945. At a nearby
village, Piégon, he painted frescoes in honor of the resistance and the liberation.
He met Alice Oudot's sister, Suzanne, whom he married in May 1946. They met because
Jean was in the same resistance group (Vercors) as her sister, Alice. They returned
to Paris and he found that the jewelers he had worked with before the war were
still using his designs and all his customers were happy to have him back. At
the beginning of their marriage, the family lived in a flat with his father (Victor
Lhuer - who died in 1952), and his wife, (Andrée, who died in 1981). 
From 1946 to 1949, he created
drawings and in 1954, met up with a war time friend, Pierre Morel, who was producing
a magazine for Standard Oil (ESSO). He was able to use his draftsmanship for publicity
purposes with an extraordinary study of a giant tanker, with the hull removed,
using the blue prints of the naval architects. 
In
1987, the curator of the Vernon Museum, Mrs. Fourny-Dargère, contacted Jean and
organized a show of his work for the opening of a new space in the museum. The
exhibition, Jean Lhuer - "Drawing: A Way of Life" was very well received and was
one of the last joys of his life. He died in February 1991, having put the last
touches to his drawing "La Châtaigne" (The Chestnut). 
The
flat rented by the family since 1901 shows Jean admiring the view from the window.
The photo was taken around 1985 in the "Isle St. Louis" (Paris - where he was
born in 1910). Today the "Isle St. Louis" is no longer the village it was in the
50's. Jean Lhuer had his studio inside the flat and could see the landscape of
Paris, the river (La Seine), The Eiffel tower, Notre-Dame and most of the buildings,
just leaning at the window. He worked late into the evenings and slept late in
the morning. Bernard and his sister (Janie) were not allowed to touch anything
in his studio. Eyes only. A few years later, he rented an extra room on the same
floor to enlarge his studio and make more room for family visits. 
The view from the window was quite similar to the "Eglise St. Louis en l'île"
(Displayed on ArtQuest) except this drawing represents how it was before Helena
Rubinstein rebuilt a building at the back of 24 quai de Béthune hiding the right
part of the church. On the left was the back of the primary school where Bernard
went to school without crossing a street. He remembers his father spending many
hours working and he learned to draw from watching him all the time. 
