This space is restlessness, madness…

It’s impossible to know much about a person just by looking at them.

The gentleman to the right is a French artist, Gérard Garouste.  He has been painting figurative, mythological, and allegorical works for 40 years, exhibiting mainly in France.  Twenty years ago, he helped to found The Source, helping culturally underprivileged young people to achieve personal development through artistic expression.

The Maeght Foundation is hosting a retrospective of his work through November, and I had an opportunity to visit the gallery a couple of weeks ago.  It is a game of funhouse mirrors: The works follow the thread of restless thought that the creator offers us, suggests the guidebook.

His reality is somewhat grimmer. The artist describes the space as one of restlessness, madness.  His works tell stories about the Torments of Men through them grotesque deformation of his subjects.

    

It’s a provocative and unsettling series, large bold canvases filling room after room.  They are well executed and boldly emotional. 

Still, I might have enjoyed them more if they weren’t so out of character with the avuncular artist described in the lobby.

 

My photographs wee taken with permission of the Maeght Foundation.  The works are copyrighted, and are used here only for review. All rights are reserved by the artist.