"Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit,
and resign yourself to the influences of each." —Henry David Thoreau
Je T'Aime, Mixed media on hand carved wood,
60 x 48 inches, 2008ean-Claude Gaugy grew up in the Jura Mountain region of France. From the time he was a child he helped carve and restore the ornate woodwork of regional cathedrals, following the tradition of his family's trade. As a result he developed truly remarkable skills as an artisan from a very young age. After a falling out with his father he found himself living on the streets of Paris when he was just fourteen. In this harsh environment he learned important lessons about people, including that the best qualities of people are often displayed by individuals that society deems delinquent, and the worst human qualities are often displayed by those considered upstanding. He also learned that fate can take unexpected turns. A chance encounter with Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí led to a solo exhibition when Gaugy was only fifteen. From there he pursued an academic training in the arts, achieving a degree in sculpture from the École des Beaux-Arts. Shortly thereafter he was drafted into the French Army and saw action in North Africa. After his stint in the military he came to the United States, where he finally felt "at home" and his career as an artist began to flourish.
Since that time Gaugy has been perfecting and honing his unique artistic technique. His work is a combination of carving and painting on wood. It is an organic process in which he builds the composition in multiple layers by carving and painting almost simultaneously. The final result is a piece of art that evokes the emotional quality of painting and the tactile qualities of sculpture. Gaugy refers to it as "Linear Expressionism." This exhibition features work that exemplifies the highest evolution of this technique thus far. For example, if you look at Trois Saisons, he starts by segmenting the sky into primary colors. Below the sky, the landscape gives way to the dissemination of those colors over the rolling valley, emulating the natural changing of the seasons and illustrating the trees' physical need for both the sky and the earth. As yellow, blue, red, and black overlap and melt into one another, Gaugy gives us the ability to see a fixed place exposed to seasonal changes at a single moment in time.
Whether it be a single tree (L'Arbre Solitaire) or a couple in love (Je T'Aime), the experiences of the subject over time seem to dictate the composition of the works throughout this show. Just as nature has different seasons so does the course of the relationships we have with one another. There are many pieces that deal with the human condition. We see images of people sleeping, people fishing, and bodies in close physical contact. In each case the artist is dealing with the most basic of human needs: sleep, nourishment, and most prominently love. Gaugy is and has always been devoted to the joyousness of being; for him this is man's natural state.
This show travels to the core of our cosmic world as well. Several pieces reflect Gaugy's attention to the origins of the planets and the universal processes that guide our everyday lives. In La Formation des Planètes and L'Énergie de Création Gaugy shows us this grand celestial spectacle in stunning abstraction. There has always been a spiritual side to Gaugy's art. A grand reverence for something greater than ourselves characterizes all of his work. Although this show is bound in the physical world he does not compromise these spiritual aspects. He has blended together spiritualism and a modern understanding of nature that is neither religious nor merely scientific. In Entre Nous he focuses on a universal couple, two people who through their love and togetherness stand metaphorically at the center of all things, but are supported at the edge of the composition by a mysterious figure who seems to guide them.
Jean-Claude Gaugy's work tends to resonate with people who are as joyful about life as he is. Eschewing the ironic stance of much of the history of modern art, Gaugy instead speaks in his singular, sincere voice and is most concerned with the present. It is fair to say that Jean-Claude lives for every moment. He believes very strongly in his individual vision, and those who understand his language have no trouble relating to his art.
To meet Jean-Claude Gaugy is to meet a man who is in touch with and grateful for the many different seasons of his life. To speak with him is to speak with an individual who has accepted and reflects the different facets of his own experience. This most recent show illustrates how certain places, people, and objects are composed of the seasons they have endured. This artwork speaks to the multitude of experiences that define all things and all individuals.
Travis Wilson
Weinstein Gallery, 2008
