The pieces in the exhibition Blue as Velvet can be seen as variations on a more general work begun in 2020 under the name (en)Tropics. The title originally refers to Claude Lévi Strauss and his more novelistic book Sad Tropics, in which the author lamented the disappearance of man-colonized nature almost a century ago. What all the paintings have in common is to reflect that same romantic idea or nostalgia for a pristine primary nature that was later domesticated by man. The result is invented landscapes, imaginary still lifes, forests or jungles encapsulated as samples of nature, where a mystery or fantasy almost always emerges. Each observer of the paintings will be free to find his or her own intimate explanations for each drawing.

The technique of painting on velvet gives a special atmosphere to this series.

The subjects or objects are painted in negative with ultramarine blue pigment. The figure is then left “white” (on black velvet) and defined by the contours. This technique provides a unique feeling of night light, of moonlight.

The ultramarine blue can be associated with feelings of nostalgia and melancholy (the Blues), and also gives each painting a sense of mystery. Black velvet, chosen to absorb the most light, also carries the symbol of a noble and elegant fabric, softness or theatricality. The contrast and combination of these two materials provoke sensations that inspired the title Blue as Velvet.