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拍品专文
Paul Guiragossian's visual experience is the most iconic of all Lebanese Modern Masters with a strong expressionist imagery defined by his warm palette of Mediterranean colours.
Guiragossian's work is about contemplating art as a self-reflection of his own journey. He uses it as an autobiographical act about confronting his own imagination fused with his heavy memory of his Armenian origins, his Palestinian ties and the Lebanese life he had. Lastly it is about the people being both admired as individuals and cherished as the ultimate form of inspiration and guidance, yet passively exposed to ideas and situations. The viewer is taken on a journey of discovery. The artist was a constant seeker of crowded spaces and situations, linked to human condition. His tough and lonely upbringing left a deep impact on him, perhaps giving reason to his rejection of emptiness and voids in his artwork. Even the smallest space is filled with details, enhancing the beauty of the ties between the people, even when they are not innocent.
In the first lot, La Grande Marche, one observes the many encounters of human interaction which are taking place within the surface of the work. With very little space visible between the tall figures in this horizontal composition, Guiragossian creates a tangible sense of depth in his handling of the vast crowd.
The artist depicts a group of elongated figures that are very roughly executed, using thick strokes of paint with lively and fresh colours over a bright, white background. He displays the group of people in a horizontal window as if marching in consolidation towards the viewer. They are partners in a journey, bearing life, brightness and mercifulness together, extracting their strength from one another. There is a sense of intimacy in the artwork that is mirrored in Middle Eastern families. The group is centralised around the most important figure in his euvre, the Mother. The Mother and child in the centre of the painting, as in most of his works, are Paul Guiragossian's favourite subject and his artistic focal point, which transcend from his personal and eternal longing for his own mother. The latter was the symbol of hope, of continuity and of freedom in his hardest days. Alike a saint with a glowing light, she holds the child in a sensual manner. Around her, a few pregnant women are depicted with well-defined curves, as they appear to be proud of their new roles to come.
Most of the figures have recognisable attributes as they hold babies or wear patterned clothes whilst in other works, they become more abstract. These works, taken as a whole, act as a homage to women and most specifically, to the Mother and to motherhood.
As Guiragossian said, 'the mother is the greatest hero of the world.' Women were his primary source of inspiration and this comes across strongly in his interviews. As the artist once said: 'I lived my childhood deprived from the affection of a woman. I have spent my childhood in private convents, without knowing my mother that I looked for so long to find in my paintings.' Later on, he added: 'I am mad over feminine beauty, each woman for me is unique. There are no ugly women. In fact if we tried to explain in terms physical beauty, it would be ridiculous.'
La Grande Marche is an intense dynamic composition with a spontaneous outcome, yet carefully structured. The impulsive and impromptu brushstrokes act as a fast crescendo of musical rhythm to the painting. No sound is stronger than the screaming colors, accentuated by the use of large patches of white, which only highlight the figures even further. All of this is set in motion by a few hands reaching out to be found by the smaller figures, which are tucked between the long robes and by the closeness of the touching feet. All these elements are wrapped elegantly by a painted inner white frame alike a protective embrace that
wants to save this warmth and love from within.
The second lot, Dans La Nuit, which translates to In The Night, comprises of metaphors of the Mediterranean land, as the elongated lines appear like the winter waves at night. These cluttered bodies provide heat to one another. The vertical lines are Paul Guiragossian's signature and they unravel each figure by a thin space only to accentuate the uniqueness of each person, even if melted into the social channel of the crowd. The geometry in the composition is broken by a vivid rhythm of tenderly curved lines. When the war started in Lebanon, Paul Guiragossian did not want to leave and remained with his family until the end of the 1980s. It was during those years that both present works were painted by the artist. Guiragossian and his family faced a similar fate and held together as one. Hence, his work becomes somehow autobiographical.
The influence of icon paintings on the work of the artist is revealed through his body of works and the luminous effect rendered in both works is almost akin to stained glass. The human figures in each painting present the two characteristics that marked Guiragossian's work from that period. Their surfaces are rough and totally free. Their heads, bodies and hands are semi-abstract with the reduction of the human form to its essential elements. In his works, the people seem to enjoy the warmth of the crowd, the warmth of the family bonding and that of a mother holding the world with unconditional love. Guiragossian longed for that love, which he had been deprived of as his own mother had abandoned him when he was just a child.
Paul Guiragossian shares his ultimate personal journey combined with his creative vision to leaves us with a vocabulary that represents an authentic human reality, which stretches in the wide spectrum between the pain shared by people and the struggle for unity, goodness and love. The captivating outcome is what we are left with when we contemplate these two oustanding works by Paul Guiragossian.
Guiragossian's work is about contemplating art as a self-reflection of his own journey. He uses it as an autobiographical act about confronting his own imagination fused with his heavy memory of his Armenian origins, his Palestinian ties and the Lebanese life he had. Lastly it is about the people being both admired as individuals and cherished as the ultimate form of inspiration and guidance, yet passively exposed to ideas and situations. The viewer is taken on a journey of discovery. The artist was a constant seeker of crowded spaces and situations, linked to human condition. His tough and lonely upbringing left a deep impact on him, perhaps giving reason to his rejection of emptiness and voids in his artwork. Even the smallest space is filled with details, enhancing the beauty of the ties between the people, even when they are not innocent.
In the first lot, La Grande Marche, one observes the many encounters of human interaction which are taking place within the surface of the work. With very little space visible between the tall figures in this horizontal composition, Guiragossian creates a tangible sense of depth in his handling of the vast crowd.
The artist depicts a group of elongated figures that are very roughly executed, using thick strokes of paint with lively and fresh colours over a bright, white background. He displays the group of people in a horizontal window as if marching in consolidation towards the viewer. They are partners in a journey, bearing life, brightness and mercifulness together, extracting their strength from one another. There is a sense of intimacy in the artwork that is mirrored in Middle Eastern families. The group is centralised around the most important figure in his euvre, the Mother. The Mother and child in the centre of the painting, as in most of his works, are Paul Guiragossian's favourite subject and his artistic focal point, which transcend from his personal and eternal longing for his own mother. The latter was the symbol of hope, of continuity and of freedom in his hardest days. Alike a saint with a glowing light, she holds the child in a sensual manner. Around her, a few pregnant women are depicted with well-defined curves, as they appear to be proud of their new roles to come.
Most of the figures have recognisable attributes as they hold babies or wear patterned clothes whilst in other works, they become more abstract. These works, taken as a whole, act as a homage to women and most specifically, to the Mother and to motherhood.
As Guiragossian said, 'the mother is the greatest hero of the world.' Women were his primary source of inspiration and this comes across strongly in his interviews. As the artist once said: 'I lived my childhood deprived from the affection of a woman. I have spent my childhood in private convents, without knowing my mother that I looked for so long to find in my paintings.' Later on, he added: 'I am mad over feminine beauty, each woman for me is unique. There are no ugly women. In fact if we tried to explain in terms physical beauty, it would be ridiculous.'
La Grande Marche is an intense dynamic composition with a spontaneous outcome, yet carefully structured. The impulsive and impromptu brushstrokes act as a fast crescendo of musical rhythm to the painting. No sound is stronger than the screaming colors, accentuated by the use of large patches of white, which only highlight the figures even further. All of this is set in motion by a few hands reaching out to be found by the smaller figures, which are tucked between the long robes and by the closeness of the touching feet. All these elements are wrapped elegantly by a painted inner white frame alike a protective embrace that
wants to save this warmth and love from within.
The second lot, Dans La Nuit, which translates to In The Night, comprises of metaphors of the Mediterranean land, as the elongated lines appear like the winter waves at night. These cluttered bodies provide heat to one another. The vertical lines are Paul Guiragossian's signature and they unravel each figure by a thin space only to accentuate the uniqueness of each person, even if melted into the social channel of the crowd. The geometry in the composition is broken by a vivid rhythm of tenderly curved lines. When the war started in Lebanon, Paul Guiragossian did not want to leave and remained with his family until the end of the 1980s. It was during those years that both present works were painted by the artist. Guiragossian and his family faced a similar fate and held together as one. Hence, his work becomes somehow autobiographical.
The influence of icon paintings on the work of the artist is revealed through his body of works and the luminous effect rendered in both works is almost akin to stained glass. The human figures in each painting present the two characteristics that marked Guiragossian's work from that period. Their surfaces are rough and totally free. Their heads, bodies and hands are semi-abstract with the reduction of the human form to its essential elements. In his works, the people seem to enjoy the warmth of the crowd, the warmth of the family bonding and that of a mother holding the world with unconditional love. Guiragossian longed for that love, which he had been deprived of as his own mother had abandoned him when he was just a child.
Paul Guiragossian shares his ultimate personal journey combined with his creative vision to leaves us with a vocabulary that represents an authentic human reality, which stretches in the wide spectrum between the pain shared by people and the struggle for unity, goodness and love. The captivating outcome is what we are left with when we contemplate these two oustanding works by Paul Guiragossian.