CHARLOT, JEAN

born Feb. 7, 1898, Paris died March 20, 1979, Honolulu French-born muralist, painter, and book illustrator, known for monumental frescoes that show the influence of Mayan art. Charlot, whose mother was of Mexican descent, moved to Mexico City in 1920. There he painted frescoes for the Mexican government with such artists as Diego Rivera and Jos Orozco. From 1926 to 1929 he was staff artist for a Carnegie Institute archaeological expedition in Yucatn. Moving to the United States in 1929, he taught at many schools, including the universities of Georgia and Hawaii. He retired in 1966. Of more than 40 murals by Charlot, most notable are his frescoes. In Mexico City he painted Fall of Tenochtitln (1922), at the National Preparatory School, and two panels, The Washerwomen and The Pack Carriers (1923), at the Ministry of Education Building. Frescoes at the University of Georgia are a three-panel work on the arts (194142) and two panels at the Commerce-Journalism Building, Anno DMI 1519 Emperor Montezuma's Scouts Cover America's First Scoop and Anno DMI 1944 Press and Cameramen Flash on the Spot News, World War II (194344). Charlot's fascination with Mayan art is evident in his bold colouring and in his reduction of living figures into such elemental geometric shapes as circles, cubes, and cylinders. His works often deal with mythical and religious themes. Charlot also painted on canvas and illustrated many books for adults and children. Of his own books, The Temple of the Warriors at Chichen Itz, Yucatan (1931; with E.H. and A.A. Morris) and Mexican Mural Renaissance, 19201925 (1963) cover the influences on his art.