Hommage à André Colomer 1989

Jerome Mesnager made this Hommage à André Colomer, and he's really working the neutral ground with that white figure. The color palette has something elemental about it. Looking closely at the piece, you can see a metallic element, its surface patinated with rust, stuck on to the picture plane. The body in white has been quickly applied to the mottled brown surface of the paper, its form created with loose brushstrokes. This reminds me that painting is always a process of layering. You can see the textured surface and the ways in which the white paint sits on top of it. I like the way the figure seems to emerge out of the nothingness, with certain parts defined and other parts more ambiguous. This all reminds me of Basquait, an artist who shares Mesnager's street art sensibilities and is likewise interested in the expressive potential of the figure. It shows how art doesn't need to be so serious; it can embrace mess and ambiguity.