SMost of his works are exhibited in the Palaces of Fine Arts and are simply magnificent. However, it must be said, the paintings of Louis-Joseph-César Ducornet (1806-1856) are painted with the feet. Literally. Yes, you read correctly, Ducornet, this exceptional artist, does not paint with his hands. Why that ? Because he doesn’t have one.
Louis-Joseph-César Ducornet was born at the beginning of the 19the century, struck from birth by a rare congenital malformation called phocomelia which deprived him of arms and femurs. Instead of skilled hands and an agile body, he has only four toes on his left foot. Unable to walk, Ducornet spent his early years clinging to his father’s back or lying down. It is at ground level, very close to the tangible world, that he begins to marvel at shapes and textures.
The paintbrush stuck between the toes
With pieces of coal, this young boy with extraordinary skills gets into the habit of drawing on the walls of his house. His first sketches are just innocent scribbles. But quickly, they become images full of life, revealing a remarkable artistic sensitivity.
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Neighbors, then family friends, began to notice Ducornet’s talents. When he was 12 years old, when he came from a modest background, he met the painter Louis Joseph Watteau, a renowned painter from Lille. So […] Read more
