[SIGNOVERT Jean - FAUTRIER Jean]

[SIGNOVERT Jean - FAUTRIER Jean] Autograph manuscript by Jean Signovert. A set of two double-sided handwritten sheets bound at the top (probably from an A4-sized notepad), written in black ink on paper. Bearing the handwritten note “Sur Fautrier” at the top, attributed to his wife Josie. Unpublished text devoted to Jean Fautrier’s engravings and his place in the history of modern printmaking. In this manuscript, Jean Signovert questions the relative silence of critics regarding Fautrier’s engravings and seeks to demonstrate their major importance in the renewal of printmaking in the 20th century: “Why this silence regarding his engravings?” The author takes aim at the “false inventors,” whom he accuses of having overlooked or downplayed the contributions of the true creators of printmaking. Drawing on his own experience in the field, he affirms Fautrier’s unique place among the great masters of metal engraving. In a particularly remarkable passage, Signovert establishes a personal genealogy of the greatest engravers in history: “Engraving has its sages, and there are three of them: Seghers, Goya, and Fautrier,” before adding: “One man comes very close to them: Jacques Callot.” For Signovert, these artists share the same profound understanding of the engraved material: “All four of these men understood metal, whether it be copper or zinc.” The text also offers a fundamental reflection on the very nature of the print. In it, Signovert defends engraving as a creative art in its own right and not merely as a reproductive process. He attributes to Fautrier a decisive role in this modern redefinition of printmaking: “Fautrier struck a spark,” and credits him with restoring to the print “its destiny as pure Creation.” The conclusion of the manuscript is devoted to the concept of the “multiple original,” one of the fundamental questions of printmaking in the 20th century: “Are not multiple originals the very lesson of printmaking?” The final phrase, underlined by the author—“MULTIPLE ORIGINALS”—summarizes his conception of printmaking as an original work whose reproduction in no way diminishes its creative value. Beyond its theoretical interest, this manuscript is striking for its deeply personal tone. Signovert writes as he speaks, in a spontaneous, direct, and passionate style, retaining his turns of phrase, his approximations, and his spelling errors. This oral quality gives the text a particular power and reveals the author’s deep personal commitment to defending his art. This document thus emerges as a genuine plea in favor of original printmaking and those who practice it. It constitutes a rare insight into the thinking of a major 20th-century printmaker and his interpretation of Jean Fautrier’s prints. Transcription: “How many articles I have read about J. Fautrier; few, all things considered, but I must say one more thing: still none about him—that is to say, about J. Fautrier’s engravings. Why this silence regarding his prints? Would it be inconvenient—and to whom? To the false innovators, those who would like to claim a place that has never been theirs and therefore cannot be theirs. Engraving has its masters, and there are three of them: Seghers, Goya, and Fautrier. Two stand out for pure innovation: Seghers and Fautrier. One man comes very close to them: Jacques Callot. All four of these men understood metal, whether copper or zinc. I neither know nor can say from what source Fautrier drew inspiration to find his way to engraving, but I can and must say one thing: he revealed it anew and saved it, and he knew, I believe, […] restore to engraving its destiny as pure Creation—its leading role among the arts—in our era, when we are still 99 percent focused on engraving as a means of reproduction. Fautrier struck a flash of insight that enabled ? to recognize that it was creative. “Multiple originals”—isn’t that the lesson of printmaking? Not to be confused with “multiples,” which are to art what a print run is to printmaking. “MULTIPLE ORIGINALS.” Provenance: Jean SIGNOVERT studio collection.