Ceramics by Robert Picault

Double-handled ceramic cup with geometric patterns, glazed in emerald green. Very good condition. Graduating from the School of Applied Arts in Paris just after the war (like Roger Capron and Jean Derval), Robert Picault settled in Vallauris, a famous pottery town in the south of France. There, he created a workshop with Capron, called "Callis." In 1948, he decided to work alone. His neighbor was Picasso, who had a certain influence on his inspirations. Both artists tended to use sketches produced by turning craftsmen, which they decorated with bold graphic patterns. Picault's decorations are most often geometric in nature: circles, straight lines, concentric circles, labyrinths, matrices, made with copper oxides for his fabulous emerald greens and iron oxides for his milk chocolate browns. Many designs recall the trellises of ancient Rome or the motifs of ancient Greece. The productions confirm his motto: "the kitchen at the table." Indeed, many ceramics are inspired by kitchen utensils, but they avoid the literal restrictions imposed by form or utility as an end in itself. Robert Picault gives free rein to his sensitivity in very personal works: portraits, sensual bathers, vanities. He also developed a rich bestiary of birds, fish, and mythical and fantastic creatures. In 1962, for three years, he managed a ceramics factory in Sardinia for the Aga Khan. Upon returning to France, he worked for the Faënceries of Longchamp, near Dijon. Later, he devoted himself to painting. Robert Picault passed away in 2000, but the work he left to posterity often conveys the sun, warmth, and brilliance of his native Vallauris.