Voulages by Bernard Ceysson Crown Publishers 1980

Voulages by Bernard Ceysson Crown Publishers 1980

hardcover with DJ

95 pp.

good condition

INTERVIEW WITH P. SOULAGES «For me, painting always comes before theory ». And in this conversation with Bernard Ceysson, Pierre Soulages speaks of his work as a painter, discussing his technique and describing his beginnings and development. Paintings by Pierre Soulages, perhaps more than the work of any other artist, are almost impossible to render into words. They force us to stop in front of them, face to face, and defy us to read their secret. Nor does the artist provide us with titles which would help with interpretation. His pictures are like the stones in the Fenailles Museum in Rodez where the patterns inscribed on the surface reflect an order of which we no longer know the rules. Yet, Soulages' pictures move us with their strange and enigmatic beauty. The paintings from the satisfying walnutstain pictures of 1947 to the monumental black paintings of 1979, display an admirable continuity, a poetry of space and light, and a mastery of form that give his work a unique position in the mainstream of modern art. Soulages cannot be labelled with any of the «isms which populate the postwar artistic scene. Although a contemporary of the mid-twentieth century Abstract Expressionists, Soulages lies outside the confines of artistic and historical events. Like the greatest artists, Soulages' work defies aesthetic conventions; it lives on its own. As a result the best way to approach a book about Soulages is to browse through the reproductions before reading the text. This way, one can experience the power of his paintings on one's own terms. Bernard Ceysson, in his interview with the artist, gives the historical background of the paintings and defines to the extent that one can- Soulages' theories and practices. But the key to understanding him is to face a Soulages painting without excess explanation, and to feel its unique passion wholeheartedly.