Why do I appreciate Soulages’s works?
Every time I go to the Musée des Beaux Arts the Montréal, I stop before Pierre Soulages’ Painting, 130.2 x 162.5 cm, July 27, 1956 (the first piece below) and I stare at it, a bit dumbfounded about how expressive and impressive the piece is. The mastery of the use of depth, textures, composition, overlapping stripes is striking. His bold, gestural strokes balance raw energy with meditative restraint, making darkness feel luminous. Every time I see his piece, I want to touch it. It feels like his art is as tactile as it is visual, and to be able to create such an experience with such simplicity is nothing short of genius.
Gallery
