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GEO (Jean GEOFFROY, known as)
(Marennes 1853 – Paris 1924)
Elegant Woman in Profile
Oil on canvas
H. 33 cm ; W. 24 cm
Signed lower left. Dated lower right.
April 1889
Henri Jules Jean Geoffroy, known as Geo, was the son of a tailor from Charente and a mother of Scottish origin. At the age of eighteen, he moved to Paris in order to devote himself to painting. He began his training with the lithographer Eugène Levasseur, who introduced him to the École des Beaux-Arts. He soon entered the studio of Léon Bonnat, where he also worked with Émile Adam.
Upon his arrival in Paris, he was hosted by a couple of schoolteachers, the Girards. This proximity to the world of education deeply influenced his outlook and permanently oriented his work toward themes of childhood and schooling. In 1876, his meeting with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel proved decisive: the latter entrusted him with illustration work for books intended for young readers, alongside artists such as Gustave Doré, Gavarni and Grandville, thus ensuring Geoffroy a stable financial situation.
Jean Geoffroy exhibited regularly at the Salon from 1874, then at the Salon des Artistes Français until his death in 1924. He became a member of the Salon des Artistes Français in 1883. His work was quickly noticed by the public and critics, and received several official distinctions. He obtained an honorable mention in 1881 for La Petite Classe, then a third-class medal in 1883 for Les Infortunés, a work acquired by the State. In 1886, Les Affamés earned him exemption from competition. He was appointed Officier d’Académie in 1885, and was decorated with the Legion of Honour in 1897. At the Exposition Universelle of 1900, he received the gold medal for Sortie d’école à l’école maternelle.
The work of Jean Geoffroy is mainly devoted to the representation of childhood in its different environments: nurseries, kindergartens and primary schools, vocational institutions, secondary schools, universities, but also orphanages, dispensaries, streets, markets and the first experiences of work. This specialization led him to be recognised as one of the great painters of childhood at the end of the 19th century. In 1893, the Ministry of Public Instruction and Fine Arts commissioned him to produce five large scenes of school life. Two of these works were created during stays in Algeria in 1894 and 1895, and another in Brittany, demonstrating his interest in the diversity of educational contexts.
During his career, Geo produced many small-format works, preparatory to his large compositions. The backgrounds are simply prepared with ochre, and the figures take their place within them. Our elegant woman, wearing a dark hat on her head highlighted by a few golden elements, almost turns her face away from us, looking toward a scene that one may imagine to be captivating. The white silk shawl surrounding her shoulders revives the contrast between the background and her hair. This portrait dated 1889 has an enigmatic quality, notably due to the upper part of the face hidden in shadow. The painter conceals here all the emotions that a classical portrait might otherwise reveal.
