“The Nation wears the black of mourning however Pierre Soulages taught us to detect the sunshine there” – rts.ch

“Principally, Soulages had no age. Sure, Soulages is a basic who selected black because the editorial of modernity”, launched the French president, who was accompanied by his spouse Brigitte, throughout a nationwide tribute .

“On at the present time, the Nation wears the black of mourning however Pierre Soulages taught us to detect the sunshine there. It’s the common and inalienable present he has given us. Thanks for that”, added Emmanuel Macron in entrance of the coffin draped in a midnight blue cloth, the courtyard of the Louvre adorned with two giant portraits of the painter in black and white.

Within the entrance row, the latter’s spouse, Colette, 101, who shared his life for 80 years. She arrived slowly, to applause.

The Head of State was additionally accompanied by a number of members of the federal government, together with Rima Abdul-Malak (Tradition), Catherine Colonna (International Affairs), Eric Dupond-Moretti (Justice) and Pap Ndiaye (Schooling). A number of former ministers of tradition, together with Roselyne Bachelot, had been additionally current.

A ceremony open to the general public

A number of hundred nameless folks had been additionally current for this ceremony, open to the general public and fairly uncommon.

“I found Soulages throughout an exhibition on the Pompidou Middle about ten years in the past. The sunshine and the power of his work, exhibited in giant areas, instantly fascinated me. I needed to be right here right this moment to pay tribute to this nice artist”, mentioned Irène Frati, retired historical past and geography professor.

“I’d have liked to satisfy him to know the place his want to color comes from,” mentioned Julie Merle, 23, a pupil on the Ecole du Louvre.

Earlier than Pierre Soulages, the sq. courtyard of the Louvre had hosted the nationwide tributes of Georges Braque in 1963, Le Corbusier in 1965 and André Malraux in 1976.

Born on December 24, 1919 in Rodez, the painter died on October 26.

Fascinated by prehistory from an early age, he had labored lots with walnut stain earlier than persevering with along with his giant black flat areas of oil paint, which he scraped, scratched and modeled nearly within the thickness of the paint.

The painter Pierre Soulages died at 102 years outdated. [Kai Foersterling – EPA/Keystone]

Grasp of “outrenoir”

“He overflowed his period as a result of he had instantly determined to inhabit the historical past of portray, from its most distant origins to its most up to date avant-garde”, summed up Emmanuel Macron.

He had fallen into what he known as “outrenoir” in 1979, when he was portray on a piece solely lined in thick black, streaked by probability.

“I just like the authority of black, its gravity, its obviousness, its radicalism (…) Black has unsuspected prospects”, mentioned the artist, who painted till the top of his life.

For greater than 75 years, he traced his path, attracting the popularity of cultural establishments and the artwork market which made him one of the crucial extremely rated French artists throughout his lifetime. Certainly one of his canvases bought for $20.2 million in November 2021.

He had already had the honors of a tribute to the Louvre in 2019, on the daybreak of his a centesimal birthday. Till then, solely Picasso and Chagall had had this privilege throughout their lifetime.

>> See the portrait of the French painter:

afp / doe