Georges MATHIEU (1921-2012) - Lot 168

Lot 168
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Estimation :
100000 - 150000 EUR
Georges MATHIEU (1921-2012) - Lot 168
Georges MATHIEU (1921-2012) Galatée, 1970 Oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, titled on reverse on stretcher 97 x 195 cm Exhibition: Mathieu, Galerie Veranneman, Brussels, from January 14, 1971 to February 6, 1971 (label on back) Provenance: private collection, Paris In 1970, after his hundredth exhibition at the Musée de Rennes, Georges Mathieu withdrew into a certain creative solitude to devote himself to a series of eighty canvases of spiritual and historical inspiration, in parallel with the creation of medals celebrating certain events deemed decisive for Western thought and sensibility. This marked the beginning of the Royal Period, whose aspirations had a decisive influence on his creative development. Galatée is the result of this creative impetus, in which the artist's painting stands out for its majesty and singular intensity. In keeping with the artist's tributes to the great composers Corelli, Couperin, Lully and Philidor in the corpus of this Royal Period, the title of our work probably refers to Jean-Philippe Rameau's ballet act Pygmalion, premiered in 1748 and considered one of his masterpieces and among the most performed of the 18th century. Inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses, this ancient legend features Galatea, the ideal statue with whom the sculptor Pygmalion falls madly in love, before Aphrodite brings her to life. In choosing this reference, Mathieu transposes into the field of lyrical abstraction a founding myth of artistic creation, a topos that for centuries has inspired eclectic artists, all fascinated by the idea of a genius who could, through the sheer force of his gesture and mind, engender absolute beauty. Presented in 1971 at the Galerie Veranneman in Brussels, our work bears witness to the plenitude attained by the artist in these years, perfectly described by Pierre Dehaye, Director of La Monnaie, in the preface to the catalog devoted to the artist by the national institution in 1971: "Each canvas is a celebration. These works mark a break with many of those that preceded them. Here, there's no more shouting or languor. Nothing but flamboyant, confident, joyful mastery. This is the hour of plenitude. A radiant contest of vital forces. Even if the celebration is nocturnal, like the Hommage à Couperin, the darkness is warm, the mystery anguish-free. Nothing can come of it but happiness. The Hommages à Philidor, à Lully are the very glory of the Grand Siècle. Fête dans l'État. Or rather, a state of celebration. With Galatée, Georges Mathieu's painting reincarnates Pygmalion's creative act, bringing to life, through movement and color, a work as baroque as it is balanced, a luminous apotheosis of rhythm, the most spirited and glorious declaration of love to painting.
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