La Kahena

Born in Constantine, Algeria, Jean-Michel Atlan was an important contributor to the Parisian avant-garde movement of the mid-twentieth century. After settling in Paris in 1930, Atlan studied philosophy at the Sorbonne. As an active member of the French Resistance, Atlan was arrested by the occupying Nazi forces in 1942. He managed to escape further persecution by feigning insanity; he was institutionalized until Paris was liberated in 1944. The artist spent much of his time in the asylum painting, developing an abstract style characterized by fields of pastel and earth tones outlined by heavy, rhythmic black lines. In addition to exhibiting his painting widely in France, Atlan also published a book of poetry entitled Le sang profond.