Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Mathieu Nozieres--International Man of Mischief

Mathieu Nozieres is one hell of a busy guy.  At the tender age of 24, he has already been picked up by a major gallery, held numerous exhibitions, and is doing a residency in China.  His style has changed somewhat over the past couple years, but his technique is excellent in whichever style he chooses, be it his war themes, or his delicate constuction themes.  Look at what he does with a few strokes, turning Chinese brush like strokes into airplanes at war in Reflect (somewhat reminiscent of Richter) or intense pieces which again use a hazy brushstroke, obscuring your view, giving that same sense you might have as a pilot flying into the heat of battle in a thick fog, in The Track II

 One of the pieces, Twins, reminds me of Larry Rivers with his faux Rembrandt look. 

I'm not sure where Serious Kid fits in, but it's somewhere in the war series, towards the end of the series.  To me it evokes Bacon, though perhaps only from the obscured face which stares, perhaps at the viewer, perhaps at the planes.  I'm not sure how old this "kid" is, perhaps a late adolescent, or perhaps an old who enjoys the power of creating war, here indicated with model planes, which in the field become real planes faced with life and death decisions. 


The small jewel like pieces, which make me think that he and Magda Amarioarei, may have been sharing ideas (they're friends, so it may be the case), in the Fragments series, are delicate and detailed.  Ink on plastic gives a lovely surface which you want to touch, but again not recommended.  It reminds you of places which perhaps you've never been to, but you want to visit them for the sake of comparing them to these pieces, to see if they are genuine or just pure fantasy.  Again evoking WWII, especially the outposts, they also evoke peaceful scenes, filled with evergreens, dense with foliage, all conveyed in black and white.  Again, a lovely effect.  Reminds me of daguerrotypes, old photos, old postcards, reminiscences and days gone past.  I hope you enjoy these visions as well.  Tell me what they remind you of.



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