Page 130 - World of Art Contemporary Art magazine: The 2023 Guggenheim issue

FILLE DE JOIE, 2020 CAST BRONZE 15½ IN. | 39.7 CM., EDITION OF 3
FINE ART CULTURE RENCONTRE NOCTURNE II, 2021 CAST BRONZE 65 ½ IN. | 166.3 CM., EDITION OF 3.
REVE NOCTURNE, 2021 CAST BRONZE 19½ IN. | 49.5 CM., EDITION OF 3

JEAN JACQUES PORRET
Lives and works in Chicago, United States of America
http://www.jjporret.com/

Jean-Jacques Porret’s surreal sculptures transcend the mere
human form they represent, and instead draw the viewer in with
their delicate expressionism, rhythmic movement, and abstract
sensuality.To categorize Jean-Jacques’ work as figurative or
abstract is moot. Though figurative in practice, the work is never
about the figure, but the emotions and ideas shared by the human
race, expressed in the tension of his fluid curves and precarious
balance. Though abstract in nature, the recognizable form and
innate humanity residing within each piece is impossible to ignore.
Thus, we are given a case study in restraint, with the artist utilizing
the best aspects of each genre without clouding his final result,
creating a self-styled harmony. Over time, his work has only become
more dramatic in its simplicity. As Porret’s experimentation with his
iconoclastic style moves forward, the outcomes will undoubtedly
continue to serve as a reflection of our collective and personal
experiences, possibly changing in shape, but never in sensibility.

When viewing one of his sculptures, the human form seems to leap
out at the viewer. Jean-Jacques describes this movement as "rhythm
in space." Porret said of his artistic method and vision, "I work
without any preconceived idea…(I) continue instinctively, with one
shape leading to the next, until the figure is simply rhythm in space".
Jean-Jacques Porret's bronzes can be seen in innumerable
collections throughout Europe, Japan, and the United States. He was
commissioned to create the bronze sculpture for the American-
Swiss Friendship Award. The "Abage Encyclopedia of Bronzes"
describes Porret as "an independent thinker, whose bronze
sculpture might be described as a naturalistic, modern blend, in
which forms are simplified to their essential rhythms and elements."

128 WORLD of ART