Didier Boussarie - Ce que la lumière touche

With Ce que la lumière touche, Didier Boussarie continues his singular journey, away from any programme or model. From one exhibition to the other, he plays with his freedom to feel, to express.

Observations, sensations, and imagination feed Didier Boussarie’s works. During his daily walks, the artist goes to his favourite places —pond, forest, river— and watches closely how the scenery evolves, whether in a discreet or grandiose way. Back in his workshop, the emotions and thoughts triggered by these inter-views are translated into painting. Didier Boussarie is not about representing or reproducing: he reconstructs. Like a birth, like the day rising, the worlds on his canvas come (back) to life —to a new life. He follows the light, its often barely perceptible comings and goings; the perceived reality filters through him. Rather than representing shapes or landscapes, Didier Boussarie strives to document sensations. Despite the occasional twig, petal, or curtain of greenery, his works gravitate toward the abstract. There are worlds within worlds: the sky reflecting in water surfaces and the waters bending under some impact, only to smooth out again, absorbing an already bygone action. Thus, Didier Boussarie’s desire seem to be twofold: on the hand, to retain and incorporate, on the other hand, to lose oneself... There lie the paradox and the contractions of our relationship to nature. The very definition* of landscape mirrors this duality: An expanse of scenery that can be seen in a single view . The landscape is a matter of point of view and is thus deeply subjective and personal. How to access, then, the vastness of the landscape whilst capturing its innermost thoughts, its secrets? How to go beyond the limitation of our gaze? Despite the feeling of togetherness and wholeness landscapes give, our perception can only catch an infinitesimal part of it: what are the mountain and the water hiding, what happens behind the clouds, what lies in the heart of the forest? This way, Didier Boussarie refocuses his paintings on the very stakes of landscapes: a constant dialectic between the visible and the invisible. The contrast between the abstract, diaphanous lights and shadows and the identifiable elements and vibrant colours creates palpable tension. An eerie calm. There is a narrative underlying. In some paintings, a clear separation between the upper part and the bottom part of the work suggests a horizon. Perhaps as a way to reposition his point of view and to accept his subjectivity. Once scarce in Didier Boussarie’s universe, colour is now omnipresent. Ce que la lumière touche places light at the heart of the work. A light that establishes itself through greens and yellows in a blooming world,through watery turquoises, a light that sometimes invites, with its delicate purples and greys, to enter terrestrial cosmogonies ( Cosmogonies terrestres ) or a subtle winter tale ( Conte d’hiver ). What we have here is an energy similar to the one given on a sunny day. The idea of motif has become secondary: some soft force, an enigma radiate from the paintings and capture the viewer. The eye likes to wander without necessarily knowing what it sees —just like we can, without knowing why, feel inexpressible joy to simply be part of this world. With Ce que la lumière touche , Didier Boussarie continues his singular journey, away from any programme or model. From one exhibition to the other, he plays with his freedom to feel, to express. *The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

What to expect:
Painting