Pierre Soulages Quotes about Art

Pierre Soulages was a famous French abstract artist known as the Painter of Black. He is best known for his large abstract works that explored the color black and the effects of light on them. Famous Pierre Soulages artworks include “Painting, 23 May 1953″, “Composition”, “Encre sur papier”, “Peinture 195 x 130 cm, 4 août 1961”, “Eau-Forte XVI”, “Eau forte XXXV”, “Peinture 18 Mars 2010”, “Gouache 2004 B-7”, “Composition rouille et noire XXV”, “peinture 220 x 366 cm 14 mai 1968”, and “Peinture 244 x 181 cm, 25 avril 2011”.

Mini biography: Born Pierre Soulages on the 24th of December, 1919 in Rodez, France. His mother was Aglaé Zoé Julie and his father Amans Soulages died when Pierre was a young boy. Soulages married Colette Llaurens in 1942 and they were together for 80 years. The artist died on the 26th of October, 2022 in Nîmes, France at the age of 102.

List of Famous Pierre Soulages Art Quotes

My instrument is not black but the light reflected from the black. Pierre Soulages

Black ink was always my favorite. I loved it. And then one day I realized that the only thing I ever wanted to do was to paint. I realized that most people waste their lives earning a living, and I wanted to live. I love painting, so I keep painting. That’s how I became an artist. Pierre Soulages

I only think about what I am going to do tomorrow and tomorrow, I want to paint. Pierre Soulages

I always liked paintings to be walls rather than windows. When we see a painting on a wall, it’s a window, so I often put my paintings in the middle of the space to make a wall. A window looks outside, but a painting should do the opposite—it should look inside of us. Pierre Soulages

I have always revolted against this foolishly evolutionary conception of art which leads one to believe that there are at first awkward gropings, then that technique becomes more and more skillful and mastered, and that finally we arrive at the apotheosis of a perfectly imitative art. It must be said and repeated: there is no progress in art, only techniques that are perfected and which can lead you where you do not want to go. The painters of Lascaux or Chauvet brought art to a summit from the very start. Pierre Soulages

I made these because I found that the light reflected by the black surface elicits certain emotions in me. These aren’t monochromes. The fact that light can come from the color which is supposedly the absence of light is already quite moving, and it is interesting to see how this happens. Pierre Soulages

Painting allows us to live in a more interesting way than we live our everyday lives. If painting doesn’t offer a way to dream and create emotions, then it’s not worth it. Painting isn’t just pretty or pleasant; it is something that helps you to stand alone and face yourself. Pierre Soulages

I have always thought that he more limited the means, the stronger the expression. That may explain the choice of a small palette. Pierre Soulages

Pierre Soulages Black Painting

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Related or similar popular artists include: Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, Gerhard Richter, and other Famous French Painters.