Jean-Pierre Velly (1943-1990)
JEAN-PIERRE VELLY was born in Audierne (Finistère, Brittany, France) in 1943.
He attended the Art School of Toulon and the l'École Nationale
Supérieure des Beaux arts of Paris (Paris Fine Art Institute). In 1966, Jean-Pierre Velly was awarded the " Grand Prix de Rome" (Rome Grand Prize Award) in etching. He therefore moved to Rome and lived at the French Academy at Villa Médicis from 1967 to 1970; the director at the time was the celebrated painter Balthus. He chose onwards to live and work in the small town of Formello, in the Roman countryside. In 1990, he drowns in the Lake of Bracciano in a boating accident; he was 47.
You will discover on this educational website his biography in French or in Italian; the entire body of etchings, a selection of his drawings, watercolors and paintings; his writings, many presentations, critism, essays about him and his art, all of the catalogues published on his works (.pdf files), press articles in text, a full bibliography, many photographs,
as well as audio and video files (to view under Quicktime).
You can also see numerous etchings and artworks by artists that Velly admired
click here and read now an essay translated in English of Velly’s etchings
by Ivana Rossi (features pictures too!)
To friends and / or collectors of Jean-Pierre Velly
We are undertaking the catalogue raisonné of the entire body of work by Jean-Pierre Velly, as well as a full biography. If you have works by this artist or know somebody that has etchings, drawings, watercolor or paintings or if you have met the artist, help us to be as thorough as possible.
or write to:
ADAJPV Association des Amis de Jean-Pierre Velly
Associazione degli amici di Jean-Pierre Velly
c/o M.Mme Julie & Pierre Higonnet
Località Fontecarmine, via della Fonte s/n
02031 Castelnuovo di Farfa (Rieti)
cell. Italy: +39 339 6886954
in France
M.Mme Julie & Pierre Higonnet
33bis, rue du Banquier
75013 Paris France
cell. +33 (0)6 09 65 78 98
we wish to thank
Arthur & Catherine Velly
Mrs Anne-Marie Fontaine and the Velly family
as well as
Michel Random (1933-2008)
Didier Bodart
the City of Formello
the Foundation Il Bisonte, Florence
an the many friends of the artist
that have helped us during the years in our research
update: 6/7/2008
“Stendhal and Corbière meet throught the artfull hands of Velly. The 19th century French writer Stendhal (actually a pseudonym for Marie-Henry Beyle), Breton’s poet of the same period, Corbière, and Velly are linked by heritage, love and philosophy.
All are Frenchman. All have been infatuated by the romantic italian skies. All are logicians and poets simultaneously. All have questioned life after death. All have observed man and nature and made precise psycological observations.
A puntctilious technique won Velly the coveted Grand Prix de Rome, and it is to be seen in 24 watercolors which paint the poet Corbière «Rondels Pour Après». The six poems of the poet whose life ended at 30 in 1875 are dialogues of the self. Short, artistically fluid, but with a morbid base, there is a coupling of the heroic with the drammaic. Velly is akin in spint, and picks up on Corbière’s conception of life after life.
… «I prefer watercolors to the technique of etching, I fell more free in my renderings» said Velly on the first day of the show «but any works retains my training as an etcher”.
This obvious in the composition of ecru in which he depicts the dead poet as booking into a coffin, it is executed in fine lines of a rainbow. The poet done in pencil lies over a series of figures who move out from a central line. In a rendering of a page from a childs notebook, the soft image of a boy is reflected. An ink spot on the upper right of the page ofthe book is, as Velly said, «like a star that brings the poet to the rising star through a series of swirling ink blotched». He goes on: The observer’s eyes travels to the spot of pale red ink that is spilled on a portion of a notebook from an obviously older student, as the squares are smaller. Then, from there, ink spills softly in gray to bring you back to the poet. The draw drops that faintly frame the notepaper relate life to nature, and back».
In all of the 24 works, Velly shows his pinpoint clarity, and his ironist sentimentalist nature. An artist with exceptional ability; he has done an exquisite series.
(cfr. Marie-Luise Sciò, A french artist with acute eye and a master’s touch,
in «International Daily News», Roma, 5-6 marzo 1978).
Welcome to the website dedicated to the French artist
Jean-Pierre Velly
