Concert Au Penty

Jean-François Arrigoni Neri, born in Paris on March 28, 1937 and died in Créteil on November 23, 2014 , was a French painter, illustrator, engraver and lithographer.1937-2014

The years 1970-1980 marked the height of illustration in advertising in France. Jean-François Arrigoni Neri became one of Europe's leading illustrators. His highly realistic style earned him the nickname of the French Norman Rockwell.

To produce his illustrations, Jean-François Arrigoni Neri organizes and stages real shootings, just as the masters of painting once used the Camera Obscura, using his camera as a sketchbook. From several shots, he composes his poster: adding, subtracting, modifying, enriching reality, in order to obtain the image that he alone has in mind, and from which he draws a precise design on canvas, before moving on to color, always and exclusively in oil and glazing to finish. He even goes so far as to compose his own pigments, which he selects to create blends made to stand the test of time.

He is one of the few illustrators to carry out his campaigns on canvas. In illustration, as later in painting, he developed two styles. The first, realistic, in the style of his master Norman Rockwell and the great poster artists (Leyendecker...), conveys cheerful, colorful, humorous scenes of life, with an emphasis on characters (Corbière wine campaign, Magasins Réunis, Salon de la musique, Tunmer clothing, Comté, Honda, Sécurité Routière...). His posters are distinguished by their profusion of detail and numerous winks. To produce his campaigns, the illustrator does his own casting, having all his entourage pose, always on the lookout for striking personalities and often, like Hitchcock, appear in his illustrations (Les vins de Corbière - le restaurant : le chef; Auchan "l'appétit est en Auchan"...)

The second, lively style was adopted from 1979 onwards to deal with movement, for musical and sporting events (24 heures du Mans motorcycle and car, Cinquantenaire de Roland Garros, 20 ans du PSG, Surgam campaign, Murielle Hermine poster, Citroën). That same year, Guerlain commissions her to advertise its new men's fragrance, Vétiver. It's customary to present the client with one or more roughs (pencil or felt-tip sketches) to validate the final project. This time, the 4 roughs Jean-François Arrigoni Neri proposed were painted in oil on cardboard. With dynamic brushstrokes, he renders the golfer's swing. And, against all expectations, the customer chooses one of the roughs as it is: "Don't touch it again, it's perfect! This illustration immediately became a reference for the Guerlain house, which acquired the original for its collection.

In 1989, times were changing: in advertising agencies, Art Directors were replacing Art Buyers, and computers were coming into play. Jean-François, sensing the death of his profession, decided to devote himself solely to easel painting, which he practiced for 25 years.