The iris continues to inspire the artist. After a first exhibition at the Maison de la Catalanité last fall, he presents his new paintings, until May 25, at the Castang gallery, in Perpignan.
THE Water lilies occupied Monet for thirty years: he dedicated more than 250 paintings to them, from the end of the 1890s to his death in 1926, at the age of 86. For Cézanne, bouquets were a way of modulating color. For Roger Cosme Esteve, the iris became a pretext for painting. At work: his doubts and this simple gesture, without premeditation.
The Iris, three erect petals which set a mystery. captivating flower, “in animal form”, as the artist already pointed out during his previous exhibition, she is once again the main subject of this series.
A body of great sensuality, that’s what strikes you at first glance. It marks the return of dark backgrounds which generate a climate of intimacy here. The stems gradually disappeared, giving way to a narrow vision around the corolla and the pistil, the reproductive organs of the plant. In this male-female mix, one color dominates: golden yellow. A little honey, a little poison.
And if, in the previous cycle, the light appeared very localized at the heart of the flower, like a diamond, this time it is indeed the whole which radiates. Curiously, this shine seems to freeze the pattern, or even make it sacred, like a precious jewel, reinforcing its beauty and its power of attraction.
Alongside the canvases, the artist presents several inks on paper. The iris, of which just the corolla is tinted, is outlined in a sort of calligraphy which reconnects with a lightness, a more undulatory movement. “This work is almost a snapshot, specifies the artist. Unlike canvas, paper calls for no repentance. Here, we must be fair: we have no room for error”. These are works from this same (superb) series, accompanied by a text by Didier Goupil, which appear in the new artist’s book by Roger Cosme Esteve, The painter’s flowerto be released on May 20, in limited edition.
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