Bastien (FR)
Text written by GHA
French artist Bastien’s classic figurative linocuts depict a colourful summer twilight and capture a sense of adventure. Unconventional angles introduce the scenes and evoke an eccentric sense of perspective.
A golden sky sets the scene as a small company of people move through the landscape in Bastien’s images. The air feels thick and warm as canoes float along the river and passers-by take a walk in the early evening.
The lines, resulting from the linocut technique, evoke a texture that feels almost pointillist and impressionistic as small lines compose a larger image from afar. Combined with earth tones, bold warm colours and dark green and light blue hues.
Trees cover the image in the front layer of the composition, giving the impression that the viewer is looking through the bushes. The viewer is positioned as a curious onlooker, almost as if he is hunting for an inattentive prey. The multiple layers in the composition emphasise the sense of dimensionality. It leaves an impression of movement that captures the characters’ journey on the water. As the angle from which the scenes are drawn is positioned slightly downwards, the perspective is slightly disrupted and it suits the quirky and adventurous aesthetic of the prints. Bastien’s lino prints pique the viewer’s curiosity with their eccentric colour scale and sense of dimension, heralding outdoor adventure on an endless summer evening.
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Lac des minimes Etre chiens et loups
