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Lot Essay
Transcending from his own eternal longing for his own mother, one of the most recurring themes in Lebanese painter Paul Guiragossian's oeuvre is groups of women. Within his compositions the figure of the woman became the symbol of hope, of continuity and of freedom while paying homage to women and more specifically to the maternal figure and to motherhood.
In the intimate composition of Les Quatre Femmes, Guiragossian portrays a central Mary-like figure, with surrounding women in a figurative style that was typical of his works in the 1960s and early 1970s before the artist delved into a more well-known abstract style.
Using a palette of rich deep blues and greens, Guiragossian creates a tangible sense of depth manifested in thick brushstrokes that create intricate and dense layers of colour. The composition offers a sense of intimacy in the artwork that is reflective of Middle Eastern culture as a sense of warmth radiates from the canvas. Although Guiragossian's work is often characterised by vibrant warm colours, he uses a colder palette as a sign of hope and rebellion against the underlying human misery. Clearly structured and composed, the impulsive and powerful brushstrokes create dynamism and a delightful musical rhythm that offers an underlying sense of optimism. Captured within a dark blue frame-like background, Guiragossian appears to offer a window into the inner-workings of the female society that is often reserved behind closed doors. As a notoriously depressed artist, Guiragossian uses this composition to build on the group as a whole that extracts strength from each other, an idealism that he often found comfort in.
Within his expansive range of captivating paintings, Paul Guiragossian shares his ultimate personal journey combined with his creative vision to leave the viewer with a vocabulary that represents an authentic human reality, stretching in the wide spectrum between the pain shared by people and the struggle for unity, goodness and love.
In the intimate composition of Les Quatre Femmes, Guiragossian portrays a central Mary-like figure, with surrounding women in a figurative style that was typical of his works in the 1960s and early 1970s before the artist delved into a more well-known abstract style.
Using a palette of rich deep blues and greens, Guiragossian creates a tangible sense of depth manifested in thick brushstrokes that create intricate and dense layers of colour. The composition offers a sense of intimacy in the artwork that is reflective of Middle Eastern culture as a sense of warmth radiates from the canvas. Although Guiragossian's work is often characterised by vibrant warm colours, he uses a colder palette as a sign of hope and rebellion against the underlying human misery. Clearly structured and composed, the impulsive and powerful brushstrokes create dynamism and a delightful musical rhythm that offers an underlying sense of optimism. Captured within a dark blue frame-like background, Guiragossian appears to offer a window into the inner-workings of the female society that is often reserved behind closed doors. As a notoriously depressed artist, Guiragossian uses this composition to build on the group as a whole that extracts strength from each other, an idealism that he often found comfort in.
Within his expansive range of captivating paintings, Paul Guiragossian shares his ultimate personal journey combined with his creative vision to leave the viewer with a vocabulary that represents an authentic human reality, stretching in the wide spectrum between the pain shared by people and the struggle for unity, goodness and love.