Once again
I was privileged to be invited to opening of The Art Shop’s latest artistic exhibition
– Le Printemps series from Guy Olivier. On a hot and sunny Monday afternoon I
strolled in and was met by a wall of colour and passion.
It’s manga,
it’s burlesque, it’s decadence and opulence. It’s Toulouse Lautrec in the 21st
century. But more than that, it’s a feast for the eyes and brings a smile to
the face.
With an
almost perfect combination of colour, nonchalant composition and generous use
of “straight from the tube” oil paints and stencils to create even more texture
and depth, all applied in a seemingly effortless fashion, Olivier captures the
“dangerous liaison” Parisian atmosphere so prevalent in the France of old.
Buxom
ladies with scarlet lips drink wine and flutter eyelids behind elaborate masks,
men wear bow ties, subtly drooling at the sight of almost naked breasts.
Texture is
enhanced by the stencils and thinner layers of paint just visible under the
explosive top layers, applied in some places transparently thin and in others
protruding thick.
The
collection, exhibited as a whole against the wide expanse of the whitewashed
wall, with plenty of floor space to stand back and take in the total effect, is
tantalising, seductive and humorous.
Well worth
a visit. Thanks Maurice van Leeuwen for bringing this to Alphen aan den Rijn.
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