Bernard Buffet (1928-1999), Ecce Homo, 1953
Etching on paper
Dimensions: 57 × 76 cm
Signature: in pencil p.d. Bernard Buffet
L.d.: marking of author's piece E.A.
Provenance: private collection, Rheims (North Rhine-Westphalia).
The work depicts the expressively deformed face of Christ wearing a crown of thorns, shown on a shawl held by two hands. The drawing is made with a dense network of intersecting lines characteristic of Buffet's graphic style. The "Ecce Homo" (Behold the Man) motif depicts the pain and loneliness so prominent in the iconography of the artist, whose work often oscillated around themes of suffering and existential horror.
Piece from the author's edition(épreuve d'artiste), particularly valued by collectors due to the artist's direct supervision of the print.
Bernard Buffet (1928, Paris - 1999, Tourtour) was one of the most recognizable French post-war artists. He graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts, where he studied under Eugène Narbonne. At just 20 years old, he won the prestigious Prix de la Critique. His distinctive, expressive style was based on sharp lines, an economical color palette and deformed figures. He created paintings, prints, book illustrations and theater sets.
Buffet was a member of the group L'homme Témoin ("Man Witness"), whose manifesto rejected abstraction in favor of figurative, dramatic painting depicting the human condition. His works are characterized by melancholy, loneliness and spiritual anxiety. He was an extremely prolific artist - he created more than 8,000 works. Despite the volatile opinions of critics, he remained one of the icons of French 20th century painting.
