Liberté-Égalité-Fraternité
Vernissage: November 23, 2012, 6-9 PM
In her third solo exhibition at the Thomas Rehbein Gallery, Bénédicte Peyrat surprises with an installation that presents her medium to large-scale paintings alongside her first series of ceramic works. The large canvases are displayed on sturdy easels. For Peyrat, the canvas is not just a surface that opens up an imaginary visual space; it also possesses an independent plasticity. The easel allows for viewing from all sides, and thus the canvas presents itself here, in its materiality and form, as a sculpture or a plastic presence in the space.
On monumental canvases, mysterious, arcadian landscapes unfold, where we encounter characterful and ethereal figures amidst animals and contemporary as well as ancient objects, creating a collection of supposed curiosities. With a dynamic brushstroke, the French painter shapes the notably fleshy and bulbous bodies of her protagonists, simultaneously highlighting the modeling and plastic effect of the material "paint." Unvarnished and well-rounded, reflecting the baroque ideal of beauty, the figures are predominantly depicted naked or with minimal clothing, complicating any societal or temporal classification. Behind their strangely detached expressions, they seem to conceal a secret.
The content of the images remains enigmatic as well. Animals and objects evidently possess symbolic or allegorical significance and are presented alongside the ambiguous figures in a strangely otherworldly atmosphere. One searches in vain for clues to interpret the depicted scenes or to decipher a clear narrative. The titles of the works do not provide any clarity either. Peyrat does not explain why a rabbit sits majestically on a baroque chair or whether the spool of thread in the figure's hands merely serves as a toy or is intended for binding the corpulent pig. In the interplay of atmospheric lighting and expressive colors, the luminous landscapes under a leaden sky merge with the figures and objects into a pictorial unity of lyrical quality. Peyrat's compositions evoke a journey through the epochs and styles of art history, which she convincingly translates into an innovative, contemporary visual language.
With her series of ceramic works, Peyrat connects to the motifs and figures from her paintings. On the bulbous vases, the scenes gain additional spatial depth, and the plastic appearance of the figures is enhanced by the curvature of the vessels. The figures ultimately achieve complete three-dimensionality in the ceramic sculptures. By modeling the ceramic works, the painter engages with a new material. The painting of the ceramics also presents a challenge: the necessity for a more decisive painting approach due to the rapid absorption of color into the glaze, making subsequent corrections impossible. The blue painting on the light glazed background recalls the characteristic blue of 17th-century Delftware.
(Miriam Walgate, 2012)