French group of painters who held their first exhibition as a group at the Salon des Moins de Trente Ans in June 1948. Their manifesto, which affirmed their commitment to realism and to communism, was drawn up and published by the critic Jean Bouret. In the preface to the exhibition catalogue he stated that 'painting exists to bear witness, and nothing human can remain foreign to it'. The best-known artists associated with the group were Bernard Buffet and Bernard Lorjou (b 1908). Buffet's style, as represented by such series as Flagellation, Resurrection (both 1952) and Horrors of War (1954), illustrates the atmosphere of 'existential' Angst that characterized the work of many painters associated with Homme-T?moin. Lorjou's the Atomic Age (1950) is a tableau of post-war urban suffering, oppression and spiritual longing. The painters were obviously strongly influenced by the harsh and expressionistic styles of Francis Gruber and Cha?m Soutine. In content, their work developed almost into a pastiche of those contemporary artists who protested against war atrocities or political opposition to tyranny, such as Fautrier or Matisse.
See the Abbreviations for further details.
