Dunkel...Noir..

<< J’aime l’autorité du noir, sa gravité, son évidence, sa radicalité. Son puissant pouvoir de contraste donne une présence intense à toutes les couleurs et lorsqu’il illumine les plus obscures, il leur confère une grandeur sombre >>
- PierreSoulages-

Upon learning of Pierre Soulages' passing as I began composing this piece, I felt a profound sense of loss. His artistry and philosophy have long been a guiding light in my own creative journey, and I've yearned to encapsulate his essence in musical form.

Since 1979, Soulages boldly painted entire canvases in the deepest shades of black, christening these creations as 'Outrenoir'. 'Outre', meaning 'beyond' in French, coupled with 'noir', or 'black', hints at something transcendent beyond the darkness. In his hands, black ceases to be merely a color; it becomes a conduit for light, wielding a transformative power that defies simplistic categorization. His works, though seemingly monochromatic, pulsate with a kaleidoscope of shapes and hues when met with light.

Soulages adamantly eschewed titles imbued with specific meanings for his works, opting instead to denote them by production time and size alone. He rejected the notion of his paintings becoming mere images or vessels for conveying predetermined messages. Instead, he focused on the tangible traces left by his brushstrokes or scratches, and the dance of light that emanated from these marks. His canvas, a realm where meaning emerges and dissipates, is a testament to the interplay between color, form, and structure— a symphony of spatial relationships that orchestrates the viewer's journey through his art.