Odalisque Flandres 1 2010

Francois Rouan made this, what I’m guessing is a painting, called Odalisque Flandres 1, and look at that basket weave! The approach is very process based; it reminds me of the way kids make paper mats, but it’s elevated into something more, with muted colors that are almost edible. The texture is really interesting. There are these thin, squiggly white lines, like doodles, dancing across the surface. They give the piece a kind of lightness, a sense of movement, playing against the grid. And the colors, a mix of purples, oranges, and grays, feel both harmonious and a little off-kilter. The way the image is broken up and reassembled makes you see the figure in a new way, not as a solid thing, but as a collection of parts. I’m reminded of the way Picasso would deconstruct and reassemble figures in his Cubist paintings, but with this added layer of craft. It’s like Rouan is saying that art isn’t just about representation, but about the process of making and seeing.