Focusing on still lifes, parks, and landscapes, Alexandre Pépin’s painting stands out for its vibrant touch, strikingly embodied in the present and in the senses. The rustling of dried-up flowers and herbs in the wind traverses the canvas with the same intuitive reality as the perfume of shrivelled, squeezed lemons imbues the space. The pictorial and symbolic cohabitation of elements and their perception thus oscillates between the transience of the material and the permanence of the image, between the vitality of the senses and the inertia of substances, or, more metaphorically, between life and death.
This content is available with a Digital or Premium subscription only. Subscribe to read the full text and access all our Features, Off-Features, Portfolios, and Columns!
Already have a Digital or Premium subscription?
Don’t want to subscribe? Additional content is available with an Esse account. It’s free and no purchase will ever be required. Create an account or log in: