For her second exhibition at Galerie Simon Blais, Josiane Lanthier unveils a new series of paintings highlighting her renowned landscapes of Charlevoix. Gathering nineteen works created over the past two years, this exhibition reflects the evolution of her artistic exploration since her residency in Baie Saint-Paul in 2019, where she found a nurturing path for her artistic growth.
Through this series, Josiane Lanthier delves into scenes of nature where light unfolds through rich textures and a vibrant color palette. She dances with her large formats, creating abstract backgrounds where color gradients intertwine with dynamic brushwork using various tools. This very physical and energetic approach to painting is then directed towards a soothing tranquility: she sits down with a small brush to create her landscapes. This duality in her painting process is essential. For her, a complete painting is one where multiple contrasts blend harmoniously. Her unique relationship with color, enhanced by a synesthesia that merges hearing, taste, and sight, allows her to compose her works intuitively, oscillating between figuration and abstraction.
In this collection, the artist applies touches of phosphorescent paint to illuminate certain areas of her works in the dark, bringing her freely reimagined inner visions to life. For example, in "Il fallait nourrir les chiens" (We Had to Feed the Dogs), a blue-tinged moon almost in a premonitory way evokes recent astronomical events, such as the "blue moon" or the "supermoon" observed this summer. The use of the intense black Black 4.0 by Stuart Semple, combined with a creamy texture that makes the stars shimmer, captures the magic of the night.
With choices of titles that are both poetic and humorous, Josiane Lanthier's landscapes, populated by villages nestled around lakes and dense forests, transport us far from urban lights. The artist invites us to admire the dance of the Northern Lights, contemplate the stars, and appreciate the luminous reflections on the water, reinterpreting classical landscape painting with almost supernatural bursts of color.
An artist meeting is scheduled for Saturday, November 30, 2024. More information to come.
