Rue de l'Entourloupe 1963

Jean Dubuffet made this painting, Rue de l'Entourloupe, with acrylic on canvas. The flat colors and bold outlines make the work seem almost like a child’s drawing, but don’t be fooled - there is a sophisticated sensibility at play. Dubuffet was interested in the art of the mentally ill, and the art brut movement more generally. He saw in these outsider aesthetics a kind of authenticity that was missing from mainstream culture, which he viewed as overly refined and even decadent. You can see him trying to emulate this directness in the Rue de l'Entourloupe. The painting's raw quality and energy is achieved by the combination of materials and a conscious effort to unlearn academic technique. The use of acrylic paint – a relatively new material at the time – further contributes to the painting's modern, almost industrial feel. Dubuffet is not using traditional art materials to create an illusionistic space, but instead using an industrial medium to create a raw, immediate expression. In this way, he brings new meaning to the act of painting.