Sylvie Chadourne

Artist by Nature

Recent Work

"Thus its beauty remains seated at the point where geometry and nature intersect, where humanity and metaphysics merge, without the abstract losing its purity or the living its fullness."

Lanza del Vasto
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    Title: Vision de Claude Monet et des nymphéas, sur le pont Japonais à Giverny | 2022
    Watercolor on paper
    Size: 36x51 cm
    For sale


    Artist Insight:

    "It all started the day I came across an old colourized photo of Claude Monet posing on his famous Japanese bridge. I wanted to take up the idea of a portrait of Claude Monet contemplating his garden in Giverny. The Water Lilies being an important source of inspiration for the impressionist painter, I could only put these flowers in the foreground. The refined geometric representation of the water lily flower, which seems to exist only for the artist, gives the painting its full meaning for me."

    'Claude Monet sur le pont Japonais à Giverny'
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    Title: Les Voiliers | 2022
    Watercolor on paper
    Size: 70x50 cm
    For sale


    Artist Insight:

    "The theme of the sea and sailboats is a subject that I particularly like. My great-grandparents were fishermen in the North of France and I have always felt an atavistic attraction to the sea. The graphics specific to the marine world are highlighted here by the sailboats and their silhouettes which are reflected in the water. The female character who stands on the pontoon facing the sunset is so emblematic that one could believe a statue was erected in homage to the ocean. The geometric figure that seems to float in the center of the composition is the representation of the tree of life in sacred geometry. Finally, the use of graphite pencil allows an interesting hues of greys which combined with colours render a very original visual aspect."

    'Les Voiliers'
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    Title: Delicious Solitude | 2021
    Watercolor on paper
    Size: 31x41 cm
    For sale


    Artist Insight:

    "This watercolour enchants me, just as Frank Bramley's painting enchanted me, of which this painting is a pastiche (imitation or evocation of the style). I love its atmosphere, both bucolic and sophisticated. At first glance, I would have sworn it was a painting by Claude Monet, but no, this young woman reading in the coolness of a peaceful garden is a work dated 1909 and produced by the post-impressionist British painter. I opted for a more open framing and my interpretation of the foliage lets in the light. One can feel that I enjoyed painting the lace, my little personal tribute to my grandmother who was a lace-maker in Calais. Displaying a little old-fashioned romantic feeling, this painting finally emanates a sentiment of inner peace, of quality of the moment which makes it the ideal image for a reading room, or a bedroom."

    'Delicious Solitude'
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    Title: Mont Saint Michel: vue renversante | 2021
    Watercolor on paper
    Size: 50x70 cm
    For sale


    Artist Insight:

    "This aerial perspective of the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel in France is among the most elaborated compositions I have designed so far. The fact that the architecture is reflected in the puddle makes it possible to create a new vision of space, opening a perspective where the proportions, although respecting the reality we perceive, are different from what we are used to seeing. The geometric pattern of the spiral connects the world of architectural knowledge of the ancients with that of Mother Nature, goldsmith of the snail's shell."

    'Mont Saint Michel: vue renversante'
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    Title: Bird in cherry tree | 2021
    Watercolor on paper
    Size: 51x36 cm
    For sale


    Artist Insight:

    "This is the very first project in the 'Patterns of Life' series. My original idea was inspired by the pattern of cherry blossoms, in which I felt the intrinsic spiral used by nature to construct these admirable masterpieces. The hues used here reinforce the idea of spring freshness."

    'Bird in cherry tree'
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    Title: Froggy | 2021
    Watercolor on paper
    Size: 50x70 cm
    For sale


    Artist Insight:

    "The lotus flowers are a recurrant theme in my paintings. In Eastern cultures, they’re considered the most sacred flowers. Beside their delicate and fascinating perfection, their unique daily life cycle of life tie them to spiritual symbolism. Some of my paintings are precisely designed in advance. This one was not. The shape of the flower and the mood of the painting inspired me the geometric wireframe pattern. The frog imposed itself as the main subject, giving all the meaning to the painting."

    'Froggy'

In this new series of watercolour paintings entitled "Patterns of Life", Sylvie Chadourne develops a unique style exploring the 'morphological echoes' dear to Salvador Dali, between Nature and its intrinsic geometry. Architecture, human figures, animals, flowers, and trees become the protagonists of an idealized nature, sublimed by patterns of sacred geometry. Here the surface of the paper left almost untouched, opening the space, plays as important a role as the painted area. The use of graphite pencil and the transparency of watercolour paint increase the spectrum of colors and tones, intensifying the contrast between the light and the shadows.

Sylvie Chadourne Fine Art