A Life Dedicated to Art
Jeanne (Jano) Xhenseval (1), originally from Belgium, was born in Liège on May 25, 1935.
At the age of 13, Jano joined the Decorative Arts School of Liège and later the Fine Arts School of Brussels. She arrived in Paris in 1955, at the age of 19, and continued her training at the Louvre, where she encountered renowned artists such as Jean Bazaine, Le Corbusier, Maurice Ohana, and also Jesuits like André Bouler and especially the sculptor Jean-Marie Tézé.
With nineteen relocations under her belt, Jano led a nomadic life, moving from attics to lofts, often carrying her large, colorful easel layered with multiple coats of paint... She eventually settled in a dreamlike place in the 15th arrondissement of Paris: the former studio of painter Alphonse Osbert. It was here that Jano joyfully welcomed hundreds of friends and children, teaching them the "basics of art" (2).
Birds and flowers charmed her solitary hours. “There’s something of the crested lark,” she said, “wandering through the studio... something frivolous for time, but important for the soul” (3). She admired the fleeting passage of this little lark, whose existential message could only be expressed in its vital natural environment.
Jano was an artist of surprise, entertaining her guests with countless stories of her adventures. She painted on all sorts of materials: not only canvases but also matchboxes, cardboard pieces, parasols, fabrics, clothing, exquisite book covers, and more. She also created ceramics and tapestries, having trained in this art at the renowned Plasse Le Caisne weaving workshops in Gleize.
Jano confessed: “The world will need my eyes to recreate its colors (and let’s add: its shapes too), and my soul to detach from them.” Her art was a “radiance of the sensible,” echoing the kind of art Jean-Marie Tézé described (4). The mineral and vegetal elements (trees), and the flowing streams seemed to emerge from an irrepressible desire to revive the world from an inner radiant origin, to counterbalance the weight of earthly suffering.
Thus, colors and forms arose, like the delicate soldanella of our mountains, its frosted petal edges shimmering with initial light, the "cradle of the soul," as Jano poetically called it: dawn’s pink, the green of dreams, the blue of the sky, the glow of burning fire, the violet of melancholy, all haloed by snowy white or divine gold accents. Bird or angel wings subtly fluttered within them.
Her paintings, often with dual interpretations, transported us between heaven and earth, guided by Jano’s deeply contemplative gaze at the ineffable splendor of creation. Her drawings ranged from sublime softness to immense melancholy, always bearing the mark of a deep presence and the surprise of love. Could these artistic seeds not already be seen in her childhood admiration for her architect father’s precise and delicate drawings, which she treasured? Jano also created splendid stained glass, where, echoing the contemplation of crystal, colors made light sing, and light made colors sing. She trained in this field alongside master glassmakers in Chartres.
Coming from a family passionate about music (her father played the violin), Jano was also very sensitive to music, particularly singing. She loved singing, listening to voices in concerts or on records, and formed friendships with talented young singers who performed in her studio. For her, singing also included birdsong! She could recognize birds by their calls and had developed a real expertise in ornithology. The colors of bird plumage, the shapes of their spread wings, and the curves of their flight never escaped her painter’s eye.
Jano passed away at her home in the 15th arrondissement of Paris on July 9, 2023, from cardiac arrest. She rests in the Parisian cemetery of Bagneux, Section 87. But her legacy continues to shine...
At the age of 13, Jano joined the Decorative Arts School of Liège and later the Fine Arts School of Brussels. She arrived in Paris in 1955, at the age of 19, and continued her training at the Louvre, where she encountered renowned artists such as Jean Bazaine, Le Corbusier, Maurice Ohana, and also Jesuits like André Bouler and especially the sculptor Jean-Marie Tézé.
With nineteen relocations under her belt, Jano led a nomadic life, moving from attics to lofts, often carrying her large, colorful easel layered with multiple coats of paint... She eventually settled in a dreamlike place in the 15th arrondissement of Paris: the former studio of painter Alphonse Osbert. It was here that Jano joyfully welcomed hundreds of friends and children, teaching them the "basics of art" (2).
Birds and flowers charmed her solitary hours. “There’s something of the crested lark,” she said, “wandering through the studio... something frivolous for time, but important for the soul” (3). She admired the fleeting passage of this little lark, whose existential message could only be expressed in its vital natural environment.
Jano was an artist of surprise, entertaining her guests with countless stories of her adventures. She painted on all sorts of materials: not only canvases but also matchboxes, cardboard pieces, parasols, fabrics, clothing, exquisite book covers, and more. She also created ceramics and tapestries, having trained in this art at the renowned Plasse Le Caisne weaving workshops in Gleize.
Jano confessed: “The world will need my eyes to recreate its colors (and let’s add: its shapes too), and my soul to detach from them.” Her art was a “radiance of the sensible,” echoing the kind of art Jean-Marie Tézé described (4). The mineral and vegetal elements (trees), and the flowing streams seemed to emerge from an irrepressible desire to revive the world from an inner radiant origin, to counterbalance the weight of earthly suffering.
Thus, colors and forms arose, like the delicate soldanella of our mountains, its frosted petal edges shimmering with initial light, the "cradle of the soul," as Jano poetically called it: dawn’s pink, the green of dreams, the blue of the sky, the glow of burning fire, the violet of melancholy, all haloed by snowy white or divine gold accents. Bird or angel wings subtly fluttered within them.
Her paintings, often with dual interpretations, transported us between heaven and earth, guided by Jano’s deeply contemplative gaze at the ineffable splendor of creation. Her drawings ranged from sublime softness to immense melancholy, always bearing the mark of a deep presence and the surprise of love. Could these artistic seeds not already be seen in her childhood admiration for her architect father’s precise and delicate drawings, which she treasured? Jano also created splendid stained glass, where, echoing the contemplation of crystal, colors made light sing, and light made colors sing. She trained in this field alongside master glassmakers in Chartres.
Coming from a family passionate about music (her father played the violin), Jano was also very sensitive to music, particularly singing. She loved singing, listening to voices in concerts or on records, and formed friendships with talented young singers who performed in her studio. For her, singing also included birdsong! She could recognize birds by their calls and had developed a real expertise in ornithology. The colors of bird plumage, the shapes of their spread wings, and the curves of their flight never escaped her painter’s eye.
Jano passed away at her home in the 15th arrondissement of Paris on July 9, 2023, from cardiac arrest. She rests in the Parisian cemetery of Bagneux, Section 87. But her legacy continues to shine...
References
(1) Her name is pronounced "Enseval," the "xh" spelling, specific to the Walloon dialect of the Liège region, being silent. Jano used to say her name meant something like "twisted little valley."
(2) S. René, B. Boivineau, and André Bouler, Small Method for Accompanying Children in Painting, ed. La Bergerie, 1959.
(3) Jano Xhenseval, "Eternal Return," Supplement to La Vie, March 6, 2003.
(4) Jean-Marie Tézé, in Christus No. 67 on "Art and Faith," "The Glory of the Sensible."
(2) S. René, B. Boivineau, and André Bouler, Small Method for Accompanying Children in Painting, ed. La Bergerie, 1959.
(3) Jano Xhenseval, "Eternal Return," Supplement to La Vie, March 6, 2003.
(4) Jean-Marie Tézé, in Christus No. 67 on "Art and Faith," "The Glory of the Sensible."
The Atelier on Rue Alain Chartier, Paris 15th
In the late 1980s, Jano moved into part of the former studio of the Symbolist painter Alphonse Osbert, at 9 Rue Alain Chartier, Paris 15th.
A disciple of Puvis de Chavannes and creator of the great frescoes still adorning the hall of the Dômes Thermal Center in Vichy, Osbert lived there from 1880 until his death on August 11, 1939.
Jano knew his daughter, Yolande Osbert, who occupied the other part of the studio and passed away there at the age of 95, on October 7, 1990.
She also witnessed the packing and shipping of Osbert’s works preserved in the studio, donated in 1992 to the Musée d’Orsay.
Jano painted in this place until 2018; she also lived there, in a small mezzanine space.
It was already an improvement: when she arrived, the floor was earthen, and in winter, water froze in the pipes before reaching the tap...
In the early 2000s, Jano obtained housing in a nearby public housing building on Rue de Javel. From then on, she visited the studio daily, spending her days painting, receiving friends, and gardening, as the studio had a small garden that Jano lovingly tended. It remained a constant source of wonder and inspiration for her.
A disciple of Puvis de Chavannes and creator of the great frescoes still adorning the hall of the Dômes Thermal Center in Vichy, Osbert lived there from 1880 until his death on August 11, 1939.
Jano knew his daughter, Yolande Osbert, who occupied the other part of the studio and passed away there at the age of 95, on October 7, 1990.
She also witnessed the packing and shipping of Osbert’s works preserved in the studio, donated in 1992 to the Musée d’Orsay.
Jano painted in this place until 2018; she also lived there, in a small mezzanine space.
It was already an improvement: when she arrived, the floor was earthen, and in winter, water froze in the pipes before reaching the tap...
In the early 2000s, Jano obtained housing in a nearby public housing building on Rue de Javel. From then on, she visited the studio daily, spending her days painting, receiving friends, and gardening, as the studio had a small garden that Jano lovingly tended. It remained a constant source of wonder and inspiration for her.
The Atelier Garden
Two magnificent climbing roses bordered the paved path leading from the metal gate at 9 Rue Chartier to Jano’s small garden.
Although tiny, it housed an extraordinary variety of flowers, each with a story Jano knew intimately.
For her and her visitors, it was a constant object of contemplation and observation, welcoming all insects and birds, who felt at home there.
In December, the tree was transformed into a Christmas tree, and Jano bore no grudge against the crows that sometimes ransacked it...
Although tiny, it housed an extraordinary variety of flowers, each with a story Jano knew intimately.
For her and her visitors, it was a constant object of contemplation and observation, welcoming all insects and birds, who felt at home there.
In December, the tree was transformed into a Christmas tree, and Jano bore no grudge against the crows that sometimes ransacked it...