Ian Seymour and M-P Barré curate an exhibition of 8 artists from Rouen, France at his self-built timber-framed house in Brighton – part of Open House (www.openhouseonline.co.uk). In alphabetical order:
Corinne Chevallier
Sensual and striking pictures of women - in charcoal, pastel, and watercolour - based on works by other artists. 1 – Picasso – charcoal study of a girl’s face after Picasso. 2 - Degas – pastel of a Degas dancer at a bar. 3 - Femme Au Chapeau – (The Lady With A Hat) – Woman with rouged cheek and red lips in profile, with cloche hat. 4 - Pieds - Feet – pretty bare feet crossed; pastel images on a blank ground with bows collaged. 5 - Renoir – Sensual female nude from behind, hair pulled back in a knot. Corinne Chevallier – an artist in training – shows here studies of established artists, a perfectly valid method of developing technique. Her painting is clearly gifted and ready for the display of her own original works.
Gisèle Debleds
Intriguing watercolours and pastels. 2 - Only One – Appealing study of a cat looking up among tulips. 3 - Haisha (Jeune Femme Du Magreb) / Haisha (Young Woman From North Africa) – powerful study in pastel; a pink-lace gown shrouds the sides and top of the woman’s exposed face; she looks puzzled or c concerned. 4 - Maria (Jeune Femme Du Brésil) / Maria (Young Woman From Brésil) – Strong drawing in pastel of a young woman with her head and shoulders wrapped in a white scarf. 5 - Le Lion (The Lion) – detail of a feral eye. The artist shows some delicate landscapes, and a bold, lively picture (12 - No 6 Gouache) of two French matelots perched on a sea wall looking out over a bay.
Marie-Antoinette Delarue
Subtly-coloured watercolours: 1 - Rouen-Cathédrale Sous Las Neige (Rouen Cathedral In The Snow) – the perspective is foreshortened and the cathedral luminous; white blobs of snowflakes contrast with a dark blue sky – fine technique. 2 - Le Papillon – (Butterfly) – a brown-and-blue-winged butterfly is enveloped in pale-blue blossom. 3 – Poinsitia – a bouquet of leaves – a riot of red leaves contrast against green leaves. 4 - Fleurs de Noél (Christmas Flowers) – open flowers in gentle pastel shades of pink and blue. 5 - La Falaise À Pourville (The Cliff) has a delicate texture for its robust massing of shoreline cliffs. 6 – Eucalyptus – a delicate bough of blossom and leaf. There is a selection of delicate sea-shore pictures capturing the restless force and occasional tranquility of the ocean. 10 - Moulin (Windmill) is a haunting study of a windmill and its reflection in a river.
Marie-Madeleine Le Goff
Gifted watercolours on a range of subjects related to people and human activities. 1 - Olympia – Advertising girl with cymbals in her hands. 2 - Petit Soldat De Plomb – (The Steadfast Tin Soldier) – Victorian dad and daughter, Christmas tree, and the one-legged toy soldier from Hans Andersen’s romantic fairytale. 3 - Phare De Saint François Les Sables D'Olonne / St Francis Lighthouse, Les Sables D'Olonne – A sharply-delineated watercolour drawing of a lighthouse, up close, against sea and sky. 4 - Femme De Pluméliau / Woman of Pluméliau – Breton woman in traditional dress, which is purple. 5 - Homme De Pluméliau / Man of Pluméliau – Breton man in large sun-shading hat and traditional costume. The artist also shows painted sketches, including 11 - Venise - Punta Della Salute / Venice - Punta Della Salute – a well-composed watercolour of masted ships and Venetian buildings.
Isabelle Paquier
Alluring and robustly sexual paintings in oil, pastel, chalk, and mixed techniques. Several of the works feature a cast of characters appearing in various intriguing tableaux. Their theme is a mythology with an erotic undercurrent, featuring saint-like and religious figures in fantastical settings and landscapes. The Order of The Templars (5) has a saint-figure with book and sword in the form of a cross – there are confident faces, with yellows and greens the predominant colours, and bold impasto. Venise (7) - A yellow-dressed heroine with theatrical mask in her hand against a fantasy landscape. Le Cloître (4) – A saint-figure in a yellow gown, with a crucifix disappearing into her bottom, poses seductively. Le Bain (2) – Two nudes, and a saint-figure dropping off her gown. Le Chapelet (The Rosary) (6) – Two girls looking very like Alison Goldfrapp tug at a rosary, their hair swirling. The artist also shows a selection of stunning chalked sketches of Paris nightlife, and other subjects.
Thomas Petit
Three works in oil-acrylic – striking, large naked women in blue/gray on (1 – Model 16) green, (2 – Model 17) beige, and (3 – Model 18) purple backgrounds. The women are painted with large eyes and sensual pouted lips – they are posed like fashion models. Each work comprises a large image filling the frame, with a miniature version of the same image in the corner of the frame.
Dominique Sorel
Subtle works in watercolour, chalk, charcoal. 1 - Gueule De Bois (Hangover) – a woman contemplates at a bar table with a bottle and glass; charcoal with white shading on blue ground. 4 - La Madone D'Albe (Madonna of Albe) – A woman in a loose gown stretches out reading a book; orange on a beige ground with white highlights, in chalk and charcoal. 3 - Vue De Canterbury (A Distant View Of Canterbury) – after Peter De Wint; watercolour of cathedral in an abstracted, realistic landscape. There are some exercises after other artists, and 6 - La Grenouille (The Frog) – a happy bright green frog with red paws perched on a bough, in pastel
Marguerite Vittecoq
The artists exhibits here oil paintings of buildings and landscapes, but specifically those related to the human domestic scale, and human activities. There is an attractively emotional warmth to the works. 2 - Gerberoy - Maison Bleue (The Blue House) – blue-wooded wattle-and-daub house, cobbled road, and gardens. 3 - Chalançon, Ardèche – stone country-house exterior, with steps and garden. 4 - Menton (French Riviera) – stone building exterior with vegetation and steps. 7 - Oissel (Rouen) - Jardin De La Marquise (The Marquess Garden) – figures play in a park, dwarfed by powerful red trees and the trees’ shadows. 8 - La Plage (The Beach At Le Touquet) – small figures and bleak umbrellas, on a sea shore. 9 - Armada Sur La Seine (Armada On The Seine) – two masted ships with a city background. 11 - Poses - La Seine (The Seine At Poses) – sailboats on a lake.
ARTIST CREDITS
Artists in alpha order. Catalogue number – French title – English title (if any) – Size in centimeters W x H – Medium:
Corinne Chevallier - 1 – Picasso - 46 x 49 - Charcoal. 2 - Degas - 43 x 56 - Pastel. 3 - Femme Au Chapeau - The Lady With A Hat - 36 x 45 - Pastel. 4 - Pieds - Feet - 38 x 48 - Pastel. 5 - Renoir - 54 x 75 - Watercolour.
Gisèle Debleds - 1 - Coucher De Soleil Sur Bonsecour - Sunset At Bonsecours (Near Rouen) - 65 x 47 - Pastel. 2 - Only One - 56 x 46 - . 3 - Haisha (Jeune Femme Du Magreb) - Haisha (Young Woman From North Africa) - 39 x 47 - Pastel. 4 - Maria (Jeune Femme Du Brésil) - Maria (Young Woman From Brésil) - 49 x 48 - Pastel. 5 - Le Lion - The Lion - 44 x 41 - Pastel. 6 - . 7 - No 1 Watercolour - 15 x 40. 8 - No 2 Watercolour - 15 x 40. 9 - No 3 Watercolour - 23 x 31. 10 - No 4 Watercolour - 25 x 35. 11 - No 5 Watercolour - 23 x 31. 12 - No 6 Gouache - 24 x 29. 13 - No 7 Gouache - 24 x 30. 14 - No 8 Watercolour - 36 x 25. 15 - No 9 Watercolour - 46 x 36. 16 - No 10 Watercolour - 17 x 35. 17 - No 11 Watercolour - 47 x 36. 18 - No 12 Pastel - 59 x 39. 19 - No 13 Pastel - 45 x 36. 20 - No 14 Watercolour & Pastel - 40 x 50.
Marie-Antoinette Delarue - 1 - Rouen-Cathédrale Sous Las Neige - Rouen Cathedral In The Snow - 71 x 57 - Watercolour. 2 - Le Papillon - Butterfly - 44 x 55 - Watercolour. 3 - Poinsitia - Poinsita - 49 x 39 - Watercolour. 4 - Fleurs de Noél - Christmas Flowers - 46 x 38 - Watercolour. 5 - La Falaise À Pourville - The Cliff - 54 x 44 - Watercolour. 6 - Eucalyptus - 53 x 46 - Watercolour. 7 - Fleurs Chinoises - Chinese Flowers - 37 x 47 - Watercolour. 8 - Les Vagues - Waves - 52 x 42 - Watercolour. 9 - Orchidées - Orchids - 37 x 47 - Watercolour. 10 - Moulin - Windmill - 37 x 47 - Watercolour. 11 - Rocher, Vague Ile D'Yeu - Rock, Wave - 54 x 23 - Watercolour. 12 - La Plage Ile D'Yeu - The Beach - 54 x 23 - Watercolour. 13 - Gros Rocher Ile D'Yeu - Big Rock - 37 x 47 - Watercolour. 14 - La Dune - The Dune - 54 x 23 - Watercolour. 15 - Fleur Du Jardin Des Plantes - Rouen Botanical Garden - 36 x 43 - Watercolour. 16 - Bouquet De Fleurs - Flowers - 42 x 52 - Watercolour. 17 - Paysage De Neige - Landscape In The Snow - 48 x 38 - Watercolour. 18 - Norwich - 49 x 38 - Watercolour. 19 - Arbre En Fleur (Prunis) - Tree In Blossom - 55 x 35 - Watercolour. 20 - Cascade - Waterfall - 15 x 29 - Watercolour.
Marie-Madeleine Le Goff - 1 - Olympia - Olympia - 31 x 35 - Watercolour. 2 - Petit Soldat De Plomb - The Steadfast Tin Soldier - 36 x 46 - Watercolour. 3 - Phare De Saint François Les Sables D'Olonne - St Francis Lighthouse, Les Sables D'Olonne - 42 x 55 - Watercolour. 4 - Femme De Pluméliau - Woman of Pluméliau - 47 x 58 - Watercolour. 5 - Homme De Pluméliau - Man of Pluméliau - 36 x 49 - Watercolour. 6 - . 7 - Dalhia - Dalhia - 21 x 21 - Watercolour. 8 - Le Vieil, L'ile De Noirmoutier - Le Vieil, Noirmoutier - 28 x 16 - Watercolour. 9 - Le Vieil, L'ile De Noirmoutier - Le Vieil, Noirmoutier - 22 x 16 - Watercolour. 10 - Ognion - Onion - 23 x 17 - Watercolour. 11 - Venise - Punta Della Salute - Venice - Punta Della Salute - 27 x 22 - Watercolour.
Isabelle Paquier - 1 - Le Miroir - The Mirror - 73 x 92 - Oil. 2 - Le Bain - The Bath - 50 x 61 - Oil. 3 - Vers Les Jardins - Towards The Gardens - 60 x 73 - Oil. 4 - Le Cloître - The Cloister - 81 x 65 - Oil. 5 - L'Ordre Des Templiers - The Order Of The Templars - 60 x 73 - Oil. 6 - Le Chapelet - The Rosary - 60 x 30 - Oil. 7 - Venise - Venice - 55 x 46 - Oil. 8 - Les Mariés - The Newly Wed - 65 x 50 - Pastel. 9 - Le Lapin Agile - The Lapin Agile, Montmartre - 65 x 50 - Pastel. 10 - Le Nègre Chocolat - Chocolate: The Black Man - 45 x 30 - Chalk. 11 - Frou-Frou - 65 x 50 - Pastel & Chalk. 12 - Au Temps Du Chat Noir Prunelles D'Or - The Black Cat With Golden Eyes - 30 x 50 - Mixed Technics. 13 - Aux Courses - At The Race Course - 30 x 45 - Mixed Technics & Ink. 14 - Une Partie De Campagne - In The Country - 46 x 46 - Pastel & Chalk. 15 - Marcelle Lender - 31 x 48 - Crayon & Chalk. 16 - La Goulue - Montmartre - 65 x 50 - Pastel & Chalk. 17 - Moulin Rouge La Nouvelle - Moulin Rouge - 65 x 50 - Pastel. 18 - Les Voiles De Loïc Fuller - (The Veils of Loïc Fuller) (1862-1928, music hall artist, innovator in dance with veils) - 23 x 33 - Pastel. 19 - Portrait De Femme - Portrait Of A Lady - 38 x 46 - Chalk. 20 - Jeune Homme - Young Man - 19 x 27 - Mixed Technics & Ink. 21 - Moulin Rouge La Nuit - Moulin Rouge At Night - 65 x 50 - Pastel.
Thomas Petit - 1 - Model 16 - - 51 x 100 - Oil-Acrylic. 2 - Model 17 - 66 x 82 - Oil-Acrylic. 3 - Model 18 - 60 x 75 - Oil-Acrylic.
Dominique Sorel - 1 - Gueule De Bois - Hangover - 48 x 38 - . 2 - Yvette Guilbert - 48 x 66 - . 3 - Vue De Canterbury - A View Of Canterbury - 50 x 65 - Watercolour. 4 - La Madone D'Albe - Madonna of Albe - 50 x 65 - Chalk / Charcoal. 5 - Jeanne Avril - 50 x 65 - Watercolour. 6 - La Grenouille - The Frog - 50 x 65 - Pastel. 7 - Bergers Berbères - Berber Shepherds - 25 x 30 - Watercolour.
Marguerite Vittecoq - 1 - Gerberoy - Chemin Fleuri - Lane In Flower - 60 x 40 - Oil. 2 - Gerberoy - Maison Bleue - The Blue House - 38 x 50 - Oil. 3 – Chalançon, Ardèche - 38 x 50 - Oil. 4 - Menton - French Riviera - 35 x 50 - Oil. 5 - . 6 - . 7 - Oissel (Rouen) - Jardin De La Marquise - The Marquess Garden - 27 x 41 - Oil. 8 - La Plage - The Beach At Le Touquet - 24 x 40 - Oil. 9 - Armada Sur La Seine - Armada On The Seine - 41 x 35 - Oil. 10 - La Plage - The Beach At Quend - 24 x 40 - Oil. 11 - Poses - La Seine - The Seine At Poses - 27 x 35 - Oil.
Curators - Ian Seymour & M-P Barré. Website www.design-by-is.co.uk
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John Park
reviewed 15 May 06 / 4 Sea-Saw Way / Brighton
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2008
