Rémy Hysbergue


Biography

 Rémy HYSBERGUE                                 Velvet                          March  6 – June 13, 2021

 

 

Galerie Richard, Paris, presents a solo exhibition by Rémy Hysbergue entitled «Velvet», a new series of acrylic paintings on silk velvet, from March 6 to June 13, 2021. Master in the art of the illusion that is that of painting, these can only be revealed to the viewer who faces it.

 

At first glance we may wonder what the relationship is between the painting on methyl polymethacrylate, in other words a plastic mirror, presented at the gallery on the exhibition «Les Braves» in 2012 and his new paintings on silk velvet. In both cases it is a question of opening a new perceptual space.  With the mirror, it is the physical space in front of the painting that visually penetrates deep into the painted space; with the velvet it is a dense absorbing colored space, as in the most beautiful paintings of Rothko. Beyond technical mastery, it is the creation of a limited number of superimposed spaces (often three), which most surely characterizes his works.

 

Matter, space, light are the terms that most often recur in the writings on his works. Velvet is the predominant material on the surface. Space in itself, deep and dense, the velvet is dark from the front, gets lighter and takes its color seen from the side (if the lighting is frontal). The velvet is a monochrome except for the work entitled A39820 which presents colorful patterns spotted, real challenge to the artist.

Rémy Hysbergue varies with premeditation the width of the brushstrokes as well as the amount of material deposited. His large brush strokes with little touch leaving little trace are particularly visually misleading. From afar or in a photo, it is difficult to know whether they are velvet parts not covered by a very wide brush stroke or on the contrary the deposit of acrylic by light touch of the last layer.

The creation of visual spaces is of course the result of different superimposed materials, but also of the composition with perspective effects that the artist creates in different places of the canvas with recurring patterns that shrink and decrease in color intensity.

One can have the impression that a colored spot brings light on the painting, as for example for A36019 when it is not. Rémy Hysbergue, probably in final touch, sculpts with effects of razor light by depositing subtle jets of airbrush paint. The artist likes to say that he paints the painting.

Another difficulty in seeing only images of the same size on screen or on reproduction is in the perception of the size of the paintings. It is easy to imagine that the more ‘calligraphic’ works, composed of very few brush strokes are all smaller, but they prove to be of all sizes. It is tempting to imagine that the more ‘calligraphic’ works, composed of very few brush strokes, are all smaller, but they prove to be of all sizes.

 

Rémy Hysbergue does not allow himself to be locked up in any system. As right in an all-over painting as in a sober painting with three strokes of brushes, his refined paintings reach maturity and for this they express and make share his true pleasure of mastering the possibilities of expression of his medium.