Balthus

Balthasar Klossowski de Rola (February 29th 1908 - February 18th 2001), known as Balthus is a figurative painter. He is the brother of the writer Pierre Klossowski.

Biography (under development)

“The best way of starting is to say, Balthus is a painter of which one knows nothing. And now, let us look at paintings. ” Such was the laconic answer that the painter addressed to the Tate Gallery, which, organizing an exposure of its works, also wished to decorate the catalog of some biographical elements. The “king of the cats”, titrates of one of his self-portraits, indeed always wished to surround himself by one will have mystery, which has without any doubt contributed to occult its personality and its work with the eyes of the general public.

Rare and discrete, it was it as of its birth, one February 29th, 1908 in Paris; a birthday which forms also part of the “Balthus legend” and which his/her “large friend” Rilke never failed to wish of a letter. Of Polish ascent by his father, and Russian by his mother (but both nationals Prussian), it shared her life between France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy then again Switzerland. (see detailed biography). Creating a character of dandy and “feudal” aristocrat, as it was described, it belonged to the Slavic and European nobility.

Autodidact, it accepted the support of his father, Erich Klossowski, historian of art, painter and decorator of theater, his mother Baladine Klossowska, who was then the egery of the poet Rilke, as well as family friends, like Bonnard, Derain or Maurice Denis. From their councils, it copies works of Louvre then share in 1926 to study the frescos of the Cycle of the legend of the Holy Cross of Piero della Francesca with Arrezo, like those of Masaccio to Florence.

Its first personal exposure to Paris shocks the visitors:

He which had never followed course of Art schools

Work

Balthus remained famous for its tables of young girls often painted in ambiguous installations, exploiting the idea of the innocence lost with the Adolescence.

the Lesson of guitar (1934) is undoubtedly its most famous work which sexually caused intense controversies by its exposure of a scene clarifies.

“ I see the teenagers like a symbol. I will be able to never paint a woman. The beauty of the teenager is more interesting. The teenager incarnates the future, the being before it is transformed into perfect beauty. A woman already found her place in the world, a teenager, not. The body of a woman is already complete. The mystery disappeared. ”

'' the street '' (1933)
the Toilet of Cathy (1933)
Alice in the mirror (1933)
the Barracks (1933)
the king of the cats (1935)

Around the painter

remained director of the Académie from France to Rome, of 1961 with 1977.
was President of the Friends of Courbet of 1992 with 1998.
the Chinese auteure Shan Its wrote its first novel, Porte of celestial peace , whereas it acted as secretary of the painter, at his place of Swiss.

Around work

cinematographic Anecdote. In film of François Truffaut marital Home (1970) (taken again scene in extenso in Love in escape (1979)), the two main characters, Antoine Doinel (interpreted by Jean-Pierre Léaud) and his wife Christine (Claude Jade), disputed somewhat and separately live. At a given time, Christine takes down wall a small drawing from approximately 25 X25 cm and tightens it with his/her husband who came to see their Alphonse child:
Christine: - Hold, take small Balthus.
Antoine: - Did Ah, small Balthus, I offer it to you, it is with you, keeps to it.
Ce drawing present at the foreground a character sinks (of back?), in an alley with trees on the left. It does not resemble only Balthus would have drawn and is not illustrated in the catalog reasoned (cf Bibliographie), but research continues to identify it. Extract of film with this scene: Claude Jade gives Balthus to Jean-Pierre Léaud ()

the documentary one, Balthus on other side of the mirror of Damian Pettigrew (72 '/PLANET, CNC, PROCIREP/1996), reveals the customs and habits of Balthus at his place and to work in its workshop helped by his wife, Setsuko, partly in Switzerland in their country cottage of Rossinière. The talks are enthralling especially with the artist and his son Stanislas Klossowski de Rola, the critic Jean Clair and the painter François Rouan. Turned into Super 16 during four seasons to Switzerland, to Italy, to France and England by the scenario writer of Fellini, I am a large liar (2002). Great First Price of UNESCO. Price of Best Image FIFART Lausanne. Official selection of the 8th International festival SEEN ON the DOCS Marseilles.

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