Jean Perreal

Jean Perreal  "The Alchemist Talking with Nature"

I couldn't find much information written in English about Jean Perreal, other than the fact that he was a French painter who was born in the 15th Century.  But I stumbled across this painting and was so capitivated by it that I just had to post it.  If anyone has further information (perhaps some of my French-speaking readers?), please share!

Comments

[Takeshi Yamada]

Hi,

I enjoy your update always. Here is a info of about Jean Perreal. I also added my personal review on his artworks.

French Artist, Jean Perreal (1450 - 1530) was a Renaissance man, and accomplished in the filed of Painting, miniature painting, Sculpture, Architecture, and Design. It was the time these crafts were not specialized yet - craftsmen and artisans had to master them all. The job title "artist" was not existed then - no branding - no signatures of artists. Leonard, Raphael, and Michelangelo never signed. Signing the painting became standard business practice among artisans in the 17th century to sell their crafts effectively to collectors in The Netherlands, the center of the world, then.

Perreal as a successful court painter worked for three French kings, Charles VIII, Louis XII, and Francis I. Very little of his work has survived but they are typical Renaissance paintings - story-telling illustrations. His palette is almost identical to other artists of the time. He met Leonardo da Vinci on one of his Italian trips. Combination of 15th and 16th century paintings techniques - grazing and thin layers of translucent paints - were fully utilized in his time-consuming oil paintings on smooth wooden panels. (Incidentally, my 4x6 feet painting "Battle of Coney Island" is a simulation of old but extremely stable and effective techniques used at the time.)

yours,

Takeshi Yamada
Museum of World Wonders, Coney Island area of New York City
http://sideshowworld.com/SSA-15.html

[Pam]

Thank you so much, Takeshi! That is incredibly informative and interesting. I wonder what inspired him to paint this piece in particular. It seems very different from the other works of his I've encountered online...

[Takeshi Yamada]

PS. Here is the link to one of the live market quotes of precious meatls including gold.

http://www.kitco.com/market/

Takeshi Yamada

[Takeshi Yamada]

This year 2006, International Conference on the History of Alchemy and Chymistry
was held at Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) 315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, USA during July 19 – 22, 2006. Today, old alchemists gather at non-profit organizations to preserve their past. On the other hands, today’s alchemists gather at laboratories of high tech company and pharmaceutical companies. They transform raw materials opf earth into gold and even more!

Here is my recent experience of alchemists. I, Takeshi Yamada, have been under the treatments by dermatologists for over 6 years for virus infection on my right pointing finger. It is the similar virus infects common rabbits and transformthem into horned creature commonly called “Jackalope”. The lesion was zapped by surgical knife, burned with electricity, and even frozen by liquid nitrogen, but the tumor kept coming back. Fortunately, it is NOT contagious. Growing a horn may sounds fancy and cool for some people but it is not quite convenient in reality. (I already have six fingers on my right hand, and I do not need any additional fingers.) I used an expensive ointment instructed by the doctor, which is Clobetasol Propinate, USP, 0.05% to be applied twice a day for two months but it was not effective. The new ointment, which I am using now (3 days after the treatment with liquid Nitrogen by the doctor) is $190 for 12 applications of 0.25g, Aldara (imiquimod) cream, 5%, to be applied 3 times a week. I sincerely hope this treatment to be effective. Incidentally, 0.25 gram is 0.009 ounce. 12 application of $190 is 0.108 ounce. (The price of gold now is 621.80/ounce, as of August 26, 2006.) Therefore, it is about $1,900/ounce, which is more than three time expensive than the gold!

Pictures of my six-fingered hands can be seen following websites.
http://sideshowworld.com/TS16%20fingers%20hand%20c%20letterings%20RED.JPG
http://sideshowworld.com/TS1%20pointing%20hand%2025%25%20F%20TO%20LEFTletteringRED.JPG
http://sideshowworld.com/TS1pointing%20hand%2025%25%20FTO%20RIGHTletteringRED.JPG

Takeshi Yamada
Museum of World Wonders, Coney Island area of New York City
http://sideshowworld.com/SSA-15.html