Personnage couché 1921

Georges Valmier made this painting, 'Personnage couché', with oil on canvas. Look at how the colours almost feel like they’ve been laid down as a stage set. The thing that grabs me is the materiality. It’s not about trying to fool you into thinking you’re looking at something real, or even surreal, but the joy is in the making. It’s about colour and form, and texture. I can almost feel the way he layered the paint, how each shape sits next to the other. The way he’s applied the paint gives a great sense of depth and texture, despite the flatness of the image. It reminds me a little bit of Stuart Davis, in the way he took everyday objects and transformed them into something new and exciting. I guess that art is one long conversation and exchange of ideas across time. Valmier’s piece shows how embracing ambiguity can lead to multiple interpretations, leaving us to decide what this 'Personnage couché' really means.