Stroke by Stroke, from Jean-Baptiste Chardin to Melissa Pinon A film by Julien Devaux (2012 / 52 min. / Version française / English Subtitles)
From her native Burgundy to Paris, painter Melissa Pinon has developed a modern and figurative work form which she has earned a large recognition. In 2001, she discovered “The Skate” ( La raie - 1728 ) one of Jean-Baptiste Chardin’s most famous paintings. She then decided to copy the work.. through the artist's practice is built a thinking process about the value of imitation in an artist’s career. In short, how does one become a painter nowadays?
But above you, a strange monster,
still as fresh as the sea where it drowned.
A net is suspended,
whose sight mixes with the desire of greed
the curious charm of calm
or the storms of the sea
of which it was the formidable witness.
It is open,
and you can admire the beauty
of its delicate and low architecture,
tinted with red blood,
blue veins,
and white muscles,
like the navel of a polychrome cathedral.
Marcel Proust extracts from his text
on the arrest of Chardin, 1895.
The Louvre is stolen.
Chardin is very singular in his time
because it is completely separate.
It is both sensual,
in its material,
in its way of working the touches,
and it carries a lot of feelings.
While, a priori,
these are not mythological or historical scenes
that develop somewhat complex stories,
despite all this,
it manages to convey quite mysterious things.
We talk a lot about the mystery of Chardin,
which is very sensitive
and which relates to this singular way
of making the air circulate in his works.
Yes, I often go to the Louvre.
It is Chardin's work that I study the most.
I go to the Louvre to study his technique.
Henri Matisse
Your portrait of Chardin.
Ah yes, I know this one.
