Ianick RaymondPaint skin (4) (detail), 2023.
Photo: Richard-Max Tremblay, courtesy of the artist

The Allure of Visual Ambiguity

To what extent does formalism still play a role in contemporary art? This question might raise a few eyebrows, especially for those who see abstraction as an outmoded concept. Yet, it is important to recognize that this notion, a priori conceptual before being associated with a concrete externalization, persists. As evidence of this, many artists today develop their work based on material considerations, in particular those offered by painting, in order to lay claim to an expression of thoughts, ideas, sensations, or emotions produced by formal information. Such artists include Ianick Raymond, Jérôme Bouchard, and Sabrina Ratté.

Notwithstanding the specific characteristics of their respective aesthetic universes, these three artists strive to combine paint and digital media. Through this pairing, as surprising as it is promising, they move away from a purity of form in favour of hybridity, reassessing the handmade, revisiting painting techniques, and, indirectly, more broadly considering the repercussions of technology and the ideology of progress on visual arts and society.

Facebook Tweet LinkedIn Email

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!

Subscribe (starting at $20)

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:

My Account