Sale Pamono Bernard Charoy, Portrait of Young Nude Woman, Lithograph

Bernard Charoy was born in 1931 into a family of craftsmen from Lorraine. His creative and artistic heritage has been a major influence on his work. Before entering school, he had already demonstrated a talent for art. By the age of 11, he was producing drawings and illustrations that demonstrate a great sensitivity and a talent that goes beyond mere technical mastery. Proof of this is a portrait he painted at the age of 17, which features on the cover of his book. Charoy moved to the Butte Montmartre in 1955 to learn and work at the Atelier Dejoie. He began his apprenticeship with lithography and went on to study oil painting. He then embarked on a career as an illustrator for advertising agencies and newspapers. Charoy found the world of “advertising” too limited. As he puts it: “I had much more freedom working with the press than in advertising.” In 1961, his work as an illustrator was recognized by major publishing houses, from Edi-Monde to Opera Mundi. He visited his native region on a kind of pilgrimage that had a major impact on his imagination and artistic maturity. His landscapes are influenced by Jacques Callot and Claude Getlee, known as “Le Lorrain”. Artists from the Ecole de Nancy such as E. Friant, Camille Martin and Mucha made a strong impression on Bernard Charoy, creating the sensual, organic forms of Art Nouveau.