Astre-bleu 1991

Jean-Paul Jerome’s ‘Astre-bleu’ was painted in 1991 with flat, bright planes of colour outlined in bold black. The painting seems to have emerged through a process of improvisation – a back and forth between intention and accident, like a dance. I wonder what Jerome was thinking when he made this? Maybe he was interested in the dialogue between form and colour, trying to create harmony or tension through juxtaposition. The teal crescent and yellow section below the ochre shape especially grab my attention – these colours feel really nice together. And the dark outlines create a stained glass effect, defining each shape and giving the painting a strong graphic quality. Looking at this piece reminds me of how artists are always in conversation with each other. Jerome is responding to other painters, and we in turn can respond to him, and, in turn, make something new. Paintings invite multiple interpretations and the more we engage with them, the more they reveal.