Le Phare 1958

Curator: This is "Le Phare," painted by Charles Lapicque in 1958. Doesn't it just transport you? Editor: Oh, absolutely! It’s like tumbling headfirst into a summer day dream. All that juicy turquoise and those lemon-drop accents are like sunshine on saltwater taffy. There’s an innocent joyfulness, too. Curator: Indeed. Lapicque's involvement with post-impressionism allows us to appreciate the painting through his subjective experience of color and form. The lighthouse acts as a visual anchor, a persistent symbol in this dance of abstracted forms. What do you make of it? Editor: The lighthouse feels almost childlike, doesn’t it? Simple, but undeniably there, standing tall against that peachy, cotton-candy sky. It’s more about a memory of a lighthouse than a technically rendered one, if that makes sense. The entire thing is stripped back to the most basic shapes and hues. I could practically eat it! Curator: Lapicque often manipulated perspective and scale to evoke certain emotional and psychological responses, like memory, as you noted. By emphasizing blues and contrasting them against the yellow-ish tones of the headland, he draws our eye, leading us on a symbolic voyage. How do you think color contributes to that experience? Editor: The blues, for me, aren't just 'water' but evoke feelings of depth, reflection, and even a bit of melancholy hidden under all the joy. It is as if they pull us back to childhood memories, carefree yet shaded by awareness. But that yellow band near the top – oh, that’s pure optimism. Like the sun is kissing the world awake. Curator: Color definitely directs emotion, but the subject is very important too. Light has always symbolized knowledge and clarity and here, 'Le Phare', translates directly to the beacon. Editor: I think for me, the piece speaks more about joy and a sense of wonder that might inspire that kind of search, rather than offering guidance to it. Curator: A truly captivating piece of art, capturing both, joy and guidance. Editor: I totally agree, it leaves you pondering but also grinning! A very good combo.