Peinture 92 x 65 cm, 16 décembre 1955
Peinture 92 x 65 cm, 16 décembre 1955 is an early, powerful example of the idiom of abstraction characteristic of Soulages’s work in the 1950s, at a critical stage in the development of his practice. This dramatic composition is primarily comprised of wide black strokes of paint that coalesce into a single form. Smaller, brushier areas of off-white and orange-red paint punctuate the composition and add what the artist referred to as "flashes of light." Soulages subsequently narrowed his palette exclusively to black—he is popularly known today as "the master of black"—and began to consider the light reflected by his painted surfaces as a key element in his practice. Soulages has historically been described as a leading voice of abstraction (abstraction lyrique), which emerged in postwar France in conversation with American Abstract Expressionism, as well as tachisme in Europe. The artist would dispute this label, arguing instead that he adhered to a strictly formalist approach focusing on the relationship established between elements of the composition.
Artwork Details
- Title: Peinture 92 x 65 cm, 16 décembre 1955
- Artist: Pierre Soulages (French, Rodez 1919–2022 Nîmes)
- Date: 1955
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 36 1/4 × 25 1/2 in. (92 × 64.8 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Joyce Lowinson Kootz, in memory of Samuel M. Kootz, 2025
- Object Number: 2025.620
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
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