Exempted from human contact for two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but freed from conveniences, the painter from Nancy exhibits at the Galerie du Poiron, from April 19 to 30, his inner gaze from the outside.
In Epinal, from April 19 to 30, 2022, the gallery of Poiron receives the Nancy artist, Gerard Thonwith an exhibition he aptly titled: “Without touching “.
Indeed, because of his age, 80 years old, at the start of the Covid-19 epidemic, the painter found himself cloistered in his home in Champigneulles, near Nancy. Without any visit, from January 2020 to December 2021. The old garage Citroën, where he lives, has been divided into two parts: on the left, his apartment and on the right, the vast workshop in which he worked day and night; sometimes in a bathrobe, but always with Fifi.
“Even though I wasn’t unhappy, luckily I had my cat Fifi to keep me company”he tells us. “Painting lived in me. You are never alone in the pictorial adventure. Art without technique is a dirty mania. This period will have allowed everyone to take the time to look, to find their place.”
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In the Poiron Gallery, Gérard Thon’s works will be presented in three series:
- “Eruption” evokes the myriad of viruses since January 2020.
- ” Art commedy” demonstrates the improvisation of actors in the contaminated society.
- “Omicron” presents the different viruses.
- At last, “Without touching” gives pride of place to “Fifi”the artist’s muse.
The title of each series is an afterthought. While painting with an idea in mind, the artist was, despite the isolation, imbued with the external ambiance.
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“The September 2021 volcanic eruption in Iceland fascinated me”says the artist.
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“With the technique that I developed several years ago, in which I use gold powder, I made about thirty paintings related to the event. These canvases emit light depending on where they are placed.
From volcanic eruptions to eruptions of variants of Covid-19, the link was all found.
“In the “Omicron” series, I painted jinns, these supernatural creatures from Arab mythology”, explains Gérard Thon. “When discovering the character, who will be chosen for the poster, a friend saw Omicron, this variant of the coronavirus that appeared in Africa.
Series “Commedia del arte”, meanwhile, seems to represent the great comedy of these two turbulent years. People are deformed. They do not have the nose in the middle of the face. Would the painter have found them grotesque?
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Finally, the special edition, “Ffii the night”gives pride of place to his animal muse.
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