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3 Décembre 1966

Artist Pierre Soulages (French, 1919 - 2022)

Date1966

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsOverall: 62 5/8 x 79 1/2 in. (159.1 x 201.9 cm)

ClassificationsModern art

Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number71.1086

Terms

Painting
Abstract
Black
Abstract

Collections

Modern and Contemporary

On View

On view

DescriptionOil on canvas painting. The primary color is black; the broad paint strokes are visible and lighten toward the edges. White and brown paint show through at various points, closer to the perimeter of the painting.

Label TextPierre Soulages French, b. 1919 3 Décembre 1966, 1966 Oil on canvas Notice how the black areas in this painting seem to darken before your eyes. French artist Pierre Soulages has spent his entire career exploring how black paint reflects light and space by creating grand strokes on canvas with a large brush. Unlike the expressive gestures of the Abstract Expressionists seen nearby, Soulages’ work evokes a sense of permanence and architectural weightiness. Inspired in part by church windows, he contrasts his black forms with slivers of light paint, suggesting the feeling of looking out toward a brilliant light from within a darkened interior. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.1086