ENIGMATIC ARTIST GÉRARD GAROUSTE
WORDS, LITTERATURE AND PAINTING

French contemporary master Gérard Garouste blends historic and modern elements to retell classic literary tales through surrealist expression techniques. A painter, a sculptor, and a woodblock printer, Garouste was born in Paris in 1946. He attended the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris from 1965 to 1972 and in the atelier of Belgian lyrical abstract artist Gustavo Singier. During the same period, he made humorous drawings and developed stage designs for theaters. In 1977, when Garouste worked as a scenographer, he also wrote and directed the play“Le Classique et l'Indien”. The“Indian” theme can be first seen in his late ‘80s paintings, with inspiration drawn from Genesis, Exodus, Zohar, and Dante's The Divine Comedy: Inferno - all of these meant to ponder on the human condition.

Garouste's background in scenography and interior decoration seems to have reflected in his paintings as well. He is skilled at presenting dramatic tension and plot with strong contrasts in both colors and brightness. His works resemble that of the Renaissance masters such as Venetian painter Tintoretto and Spanish painter El Greco. In addition, the twisted facial expressions and bodies due to strong emotions or the indefinable forms in Garouste's works can trace back their influence to contemporary art legends like Francis Bacon and Giorgio de Chirico.

In 1980, Garouste had his first solo exhibition at the Durand-Dessert Gallery in Paris and earned his fame overnight. He then exhibited at the world-renowned Leo Castelli Gallery in New York and was highly praised by Castelli himself. In 1982, Garouste went on to have a show at the Holly Solomon Gallery in New York and received international recognition. Afterwards, in 1987, he received awards from both the Centre d'arts plastiques contemporains (CAPC) in Bordeaux and the Fondation Cartier, which brought him institutional recognition.

As Garouste established his fame between 1980 and 1987, he finished his masterpiece series“The Divine Comedy” in 1986-1987. It was a series consisting of nearly 20 pieces of large-scale, museum-collection-level oil paintings, each over 2 meters both in length and width. This series was also displayed in 1987 at a solo show titled“Gérard Garouste: Paintings From 1985-1987” hosted by CAPC Bordeaux and a retrospective exhibition at the Pompidou Centre in Paris in 1988.

The Divine Comedy was composed by narrative poet Dante Alighieri in the early 14th century. It's an imaginative literary work filled with allegories and symbolisms. Dante narrated his meditative, mysterious journey through Hell, Purgatory, and eventually Heaven. This work Qohelet belongs to Garouste's“The Divine Comedy” series of oil paintings and it was purchased by a collector from the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York. The theatrical composition, color contrast, and light arrangement focuses one's attention at the center where the scene is happening. Sapphire and emerald colors intertwine with each other to form a magical background, and the quivering brushstrokes illustrate the depressing and anxious atmosphere in the underworld. Resembling an archaic mural with its rustic quality, the main character of the scene wearing a bright orange cloak and a flying creature above in the shade of fuschia are both outlined in rough black lines. The unfinished imagery resembles something of a half human and half monster, leaving a mysterious symbol and provoking limitless imagination.

Garouste artfully blends Surrealism and emotional expression into one. In his works, one can see the shadows of master artists both from the past and present. However, he refuses to be labeled in a particular creative genre. His forward thinking lies in his attempts to explore human's cultural roots through classical literature, to incorporate symbolism with contemporary paintings, and to allow the viewer to interpret and feel the hidden energy from within his works.