Bernard Rouyart exhibition: engravings, drawings, in variations. Opening on 18/01/2024 from 3pm to 6pm.
Born shortly after the middle of the 20th century, Bernard Rouyard seems to have steered clear of the avant-garde movements and fashions of the time. His works are simply figurative. They represent familiar places, studios and landscapes, nudes and interior scenes. The engraved or painted landscapes evoke a countryside where the drizzle erases the contours of the hills. But this 'classical' appearance conceals a singular originality. Like Spinoza, Bernard Rouyard puts new wine in old wineskins.
Initially trained as an engraver, he draws, engraves and paints. But he paints as engravers usually do, by scarifying, scratching, removing and smoothing. And he engraves in the same way that people usually paint, by adding, grafting and superimposing the effects of different techniques. And this mix, these alloys, these crossbreedings, indicate the restless research that true artists are known for.
He engraves wood, stone and metal. But in his practice, xylographs, lithographs and etchings are not academically distinct; the same sheet may pass through different presses. He tries, he tests, he experiments and, like a musician, he cultivates variations.