Pierre Soulages - Musée du Luxembourg

 

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I didn’t think stepping into PIERRE SOULAGES’ (1919-2022) shoes could be so much fun 🥳 

The preview on Monday at musée du Luxembourg was mobbed.

‘Soulages is known as "the painter of black", 

Charcole on paper

Owing to his interest in black "both as a color and a non-color.

When light is reflected on black, it transforms and transmutes it. It opens a mental field all its own." 

He saw light as a work material; striations of the black surface of his paintings enable him to reflect light, allowing the black to come out of darkness and into brightness, thus becoming a luminous color.

Soulages was born in the small town of Rodez in 1919. At age 12 on a school trip he experienced 

The nearby Romanesque Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy in Conques. He announced to his family he was going to become an artist and started wearing all black. His mother did not approve.

Mine didn’t either. Probably a universal parental opinion 🤔

I tried the virtual reality gizmo that took us through Soulages’ life experiences into the cathedral 

And into his studio.

The exciting thing about Soulages is the physicality of his brush marks, almost like dancing.

You can’t help but feel the grand gestures of his arm moving across paper or canvas. So different than holding a small brush in your hand ✍️ on small pieces of paper.

I returned yesterday. Everyone was enthralled.

Of course I was thinking what can they possibly have in their gift shop with all this black? Boy was I wrong