Greffe sur patte

2010 - Painting (Painting)

265 x 328 cm

Eric Dizambourg

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Like the film Le Mouton noir, this dimension is counterbalanced by a burlesque element. The piece of fabric on the rat’s paw or ‘graft’ becomes a patchwork made out of colorful geometric shapes recalling a Harlequin costume, thus referring directly to the burlesque tradition. This leitmotiv creates a contrast with the dull colors, the humility of the countryside, and makes the figurative scene look unreal to reveal its superficiality. The stiff character seems to be in a procession, while the introduction of the burlesque element transforms it into a carnival. The achievement of the picture occurs in two parts: first the painting of a figurative scene by the artist, and then the moment where the scene becomes absurd.

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Working primarily in painting and video, Eric Dizambourg merges the burlesque with the rustic, blurring the boundaries between reality and representation. The fantastical and baroque universe created by Dizambourg offers a glimpse into his personal history, as well as the history of painting. His paintings incorporate the dripping technique of Pollock; the thick gesture of Leroy; the expressionist gesture of Soutine; and the violence of Goya’s black paintings, vaguely tempered by Raysse’s predilection for pop colors. Something of an iconoclast, Dizambourgs work depict art motifs in a comical way – painting becomes autonomous and plays on the freedom of gesture of this libertine artist.

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Colors:

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• burlesque.n.01
• absurd.s.01
• dull.s.05
• rodent.n.01
• countryside.n.01
• earthy.a.04