This poster which I had seen in Art Magazines, intrigued me. Naturally I knew nothing about the artist but it was on my priority list to go to the Japanese Cultural Institute and see his work. Even more important as my major trip for the year was to go to Japan with Laurent and Jerome.
Paul Jacoulet (1896–1960) was a French, Japan-based woodblock print artist known for a style that mixed the traditional ukiyo-e and techniques developed by the artist himself.
He was born in Paris in 1896 and lived in Japan for most of his life. During World War II, he moved to Karuizawa, where he survived in the countryside by growing vegetables and raising poultry. Jacoulet prints are rare and often sell in the $5,000 to $20,000 range.
His creative period was 1939-1960. He was considered one of the few western artists to have mastered the art of woodblock printing sufficiently to be recognized in Japan. His works are almost all of people, either portraits or full body images capturing some background details.
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| Automnal Pilgrimage 1952 |
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| The Two brothers - July 1936 |
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Ebisu, God of Happiness incarnated by a
Courtisan of Shimbara, Kyoto 1952 |
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Daikoku, God of Wealth incarnated
by a
Courtisan of Shimbara, Kyoto 1952 |
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| Mikomoto Lighthouse - February 1954 |
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| The Treasure, May 1940 |
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| Korean Baby in ceromonial costume, 1934 |
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| Longevity, Moppo , 1948 |
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| The Gamblers : 1941 |
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| The Green Caterpillar - 1936 |
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| The Master Potter - 1940 |
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| A Man from Yap, West Carolines, 1935 |
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| The chief's daughter, Mogomog, Yap, 1953 |
Many prints are very rare because all Jacoulet’s pre-World War II work that had not already been taken out of the country by collectors was destroyed by fire. French but born and raised in Japan, expert in Kabuki, proficient on traditional Japanese musical instruments, a good calligrapher, conversant in several languages, and a recognized butterfly collector. He was taught English by a Japanese notoriety's American wife, Leonie Gilmour, and befriended their son, the young Isamu Noguchi. Jacoulet’s father was an ambassador so Paul traveled widely and doted upon by his mother.
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| Old Man with rosary : 1940 |
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| Memories of other times : 1941 |
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| A Young Prince, Mongoly : 1956 |
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| The song of the Weavers, Mongoly : 1958 |
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| The confident : 1942 |
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| Sunset at Menado, Celebes : 1938 |
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| The Kiyoka Geisha : Tokyo, 1935 |
She supported his artistic endeavors all her life. To the point of saying that if French Polynesia was good for Paul Gauguin, then Jacoulet must go there too. She sent him away many winters from Japan to various islands in Micronesia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
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| Young girls from Saipan and Hibicus Flowers, 1934 |
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| Waiting : Menado, Celebes, 1947 |
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| The birds of Paradise, Menado, Celebes, 1937 |
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| Oyster Soup, 1948 |
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| Butterflies, 1939 |
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| The two competitors - 1950 |
Although his most valued works are from this part of the world, he also has a substantial number of prints with subjects from China, Korea, all areas of Japan, and Mongolia. Just one print depicts an American.
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| Korea: Mr Keen and Mr Lee - 1951 |
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Korea, The Groom, 1950
(He certainly looks sad) |
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Korea :The Bride - February 1948
(Not related to the Groom above!) |
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| Snow Flakes, Pyongyang, 1956 |
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The Nest, 1941
I love this |
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| Water Pipe, 1952 |
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| The Happy Man, 1955 |
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The Porcelaine Stool, Mandchoukuo, 936
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| Jades : 1940 |
Jacoulet was a shameless self-promoter and sent prints to famous people to enhance his reputation. MacArthur would join Greta Garbo, Pope Pius XII and Queen Elizabeth II, as a prominent collector of his work. I gather he would even send one of his prints to a famous person for a special day, such as Christmas. However, although he may have been a shameless self-promoter, he always included the different woodblock specialists who worked with him. For that matter all those artists who worked with him and intergrated their seal into his work.
Flamboyant gay and at a very early date came out. His sexual orientation and gender fluidity are clearly reflected in his work. Near the end of his life Jacoulet was barred from entering the US due to his “undesirability” as a gay person. Undeterred, he dressed up in a white suit with a silver headed cane and walked into the US at Niagara Falls. Quite a remarkable man.
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| Calm, Truck, June 1941 |
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Old Aïno, Chikabumi, Hokkaido : 1950
(I like to think that this is how he
looked when he crossed into the USA!) |
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