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Oil on canvas
21 ⅝ x 18 ½ inches
23 ¼ x 19 ⅞ inches framed
Signed and dated on reverse: 1.VIII.68 J.G.
Atelier number 572 on reverse
Executed 1968
Germain believed that within the natural world a tune or rhythm existed, and he wished to explore the expression of this theory in his paintings. His artistic aim was to capture on canvas the miraculous rhythms and dynamism of nature. The mature development of this theory is shown eloquently and superbly in Composition Abstraite, 1968.
In this picture, Germain creates a vertical example of his characteristic canvas style with an “explosion” of rectangular surfaces in varying tones of whites, blues, and golds. Many of these rectangular forms are at the center or “core” of the canvas, and seem to be ignited by touches of red lozenges. Germain has applied this stunning and radiant array of colors to the canvas in deliberate, rapid and rhythmic brushstrokes that enliven and energize the picture, a personal technique which helps both to heighten the expression of the work as well as to create a more intense design flow of both rotating and cascading color.
However, in much the same way that all is not chaos in nature, the same holds true for Germain’s works, which have patterns, textures, and rhythms that contribute to this physical sense of energy radiating from the heart of the composition. These explosive, energized depictions of vivid and shimmering rectangular surfaces would become Germain’s signature style of painting, and would help to establish him as one of the leading post-war painters in France and in all of Europe.