Light, painting is light. The work that Douard has accomplished over the last 30 years brings him towards this image where the subject is fragmented, a vibrant multi-facette reality, placed in an environment that evolves following the artist's inner journey.
The dynamics provoked by using this technique on the subject gives the impression of constant movement, the being’s inner life placed in a decor of earth and straw, or with large spaces of color. These elements reflect a vision of the being's daily life, changing and in constant evolution.
If the artist's style concerning his technical vision of the themes approached has been stable over the last few years, the world that his subjects live in is constantly renewed, allowing us to approach his work with true delight.
By observing his former work, we can discover this evolution. From the total distruction of the canvas, to the appearance of large smooth colored areas that condense the subject’s dynamics, the unpredictable movements, the use of raw materials such as carth and straw, make it necessary for the artist to treat the surrounding colors in a rough and spontaneous way. The story revealed about each subject is a different one every time. By observing this progression, we are confronted with the artist's most recent research and his curiosity about different worlds and the people in his life.
The word as a component of the painting, the verb found in the text after twenty years of silence, the necessity to continue wasn't revealed until recently; the urgency for texts describing the subjects became essential. Not to explain the painting itself, but to write about the subject in order to provoke a pictorial composition. The texts rhythm and poetic vein follow and are related to the subjects fragmented density and dynamics. The presence of these texts, a graphic element, is justified by this belonging to the subject that is developed in the composition
The artist is not concerned if the texts on the canvas are legible or not. One must observe how the letters are applied, the letters being a part of the painting. This is a discovery to be made in his most recent works.
Douard's interpretation if the world around him is presented to us through his work as an interrogation and research of mankind.
O. LEDERLE
Translated by P. LOUE-MILANESE