[Online] Lévy Gorvy Presents Soulages: Outrenoir

Description

Pierre Soulanges: Outrenoir, roughly translated to “beyond black,” is a collection of his all-black paintings, which he describes as “from another country than black.” His thickly textured paintings are created by applying thick layers of paint to a canvas and scraping it away to produce rough and smooth surfaces. He is not just working with paint, though; he sees the black as merely an instrument to manipulate light, as light is reflected in different ways on the uneven black surface.

Soulanges’ use of black is inspired by prehistoric art, especially cave paintings.  Captivated by how black—the absence of light—managed to reflect light, he started painting exclusively in black starting from 1979.  The process of painting was one of the subconscious and deeply introspective for him, and he hopes to bring that experience to the viewer as well, as they observe the different ways light is diffused by the depth in the thick black paint.

This exhibition showcases works from just the past year, one of which features usage of black pigment mixed with a blue hue, the first time his work has used a non-black colour in over a decade.