'SOUVENIR & HOMMAGE TO PIERRE SOULAGES'

Firstly we have to know that Soulages would have hated to have any student in his barn. He just loved to exchange with others artists concerning his work and theirs. He was particularly severe concerning figurative painters...saying « Why do they not just take a photo? ».

Nevertheless It is always interesting in front of this painting by Jean Fourton to discover some eventual heritage from his old brotherly-friend Pierre Soulages?

At Paris and Sète, the two men had long conversations concerning exchanges of technics, knowledges, experiences. Jean was one generation younger than Pierre. The present work shows what became Jean’s identification to his elder friend...This one would have disapproved freedom taken by the « youngster ».

Pierre was a purist concerning black color. In his wonderful work of matter, He did not need to associate brillant black and mat black as Jean does here. In Pierre’s research the light is carving the black matter. He does not employ several black colors. Even if he taught Jean to add bicarbonate of soda in the paint to obtain flat nuance or powder of silica to obtain satiny or silk finish.

On the other hand we see appearing here, in the middle of the painting walnut stain, dear to Pierre’s heart, but never the old man would have accepted to add some drops of gold as Jean does here or any dripping as the American Jackson Pollock discovered the use.

Such is life. Pierre died two years ago at 102 years old. Jean the young bird, has flown since a long time. We all ow something from each others. Now throw his art shows across the world Jean Fourton at 90 years old as invented his own style associating figurative and abstract and philosophy. As wrote a French critic Ileana Cornea recently: « Jean Fourton’s painting is making us at work of thinking »...