Painting on paper: the original impulse of Pierre Soulages
Fragile, rapid, luminous: Pierre Soulages' paintings on paper reveal an essential facet of his work. From walnut stain to the beginnings of the major exhibitions of the XXIᵉ century, they tell a story of a quest for freedom and immediacy that runs through his entire career.
"Painting on paper requires speed, not going back, a thorough knowledge of the fluidity of inks and washes, and the resistance of the materials. Soulages practiced painting on paper almost continuously [...] because he felt an irresistible necessity to do so," writes Benoît Decron following the presentation of Pierre Soulages, œuvres sur papier at Soulages Museum in 2018.
For Soulages, this medium is never secondary: as early as 1947, with walnut stain, it becomes the place of a free, direct, unrepentant gesture. As the critic noted in 1963: "Soulages never draws: he paints" (Galerie des Arts).
These works on paper played a key role in the artist's international recognition. In 1948, the Französische abstrakte Malerei exhibition in Germany, whose black-and-white poster reproduced a walnut stain work, drew the attention of the press and collectors. Significant milestones followed: Galerie de France (1963), Centre Pompidou (2009–2010), Musée Soulages in Rodez (2014). Critics speak of "a transparency as yet unknown" (Les Lettres françaises, 1963) and of a new light that opens "the dawn of a new period" (L'Express, 1963).
For Soulages, paper certainly enabled an intimate, meditative approach to painting, conducive to the expression of his artistic approach:
My instrument is this secret light that comes from black.
Today, for the first time in Paris, the Musée du Luxembourg presents an exceptional selection of these works, from the earliest walnut stain to recent creations, revealing a founding dimension of Pierre Soulages' art.
To discover
General guided tour
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