On the Edge: Taking Risks in Art Education

Voici ma proposition d'intervention au Symposium d'éducation artistique des étudiants des cycles supérieurs de l'université Concordia, le 23 mars prochain. Ce sera une présentation en anglais, avec une conclusion questions/réponses bilingue.


Concordia Department of Art Education

Graduate Student Symposium

March 23^rd – 24^th, 2012

The catastrophe, catalyst of painting.
A new glance on painting after the catastrophe theory of Deleuze.

ABSTRACT: According to Deleuze, the catastrophe is the pre-pictorial condition of painting.  The creative process is a complex process, where nothing is given.  It is precisely this process that I am investigating in my doctoral research, and that I wish to share with you today.


PROPOSAL: Between March and June 1981, the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze introduces the notion of catastrophe in painting in an Art Seminar at Paris 8: “Painting and the question of concepts”.  According to him, the colour is born of the catastrophe that precedes the act of painting, when the artwork is still to be painted.  The painter, in front of the white canvas, faces the chaos of the world, a world of which s/he doesn’t know yet whether s/he will be able to extract shapes and colours, or not.  It is the pre-pictorial moment of chaos.  Then, by and by, s/he draws shapes and grounds, and organizes the artwork.  Until the next catastrophe of the accident and the unpredictable.  But it is the price to pay for painting: “If you don’t put your artwork in a catastrophe of furnace and storm [...] you will produce only clichés”.
My purpose is to explore the question of thought and visual concepts, or “percepts”, in painting, through the creative process.  After Deleuze, I would like to relate it to the notion of catastrophe.  Knowing that I intend to use audio and video abstracts of interviews and seminars in French, my presentation will be bilingual and a discussion will follow, where I will take questions in French and in English, in an interactive discussion. I invite all attendees to read the book mentioned below if they wish.

Saorsa, J. (2011). Narrating the Catastrophe, An Artist’s Dialogue with Deleuze and Ricoeur. Intellect.

Les percepts en peinture

"Le métier du peintre, c'est de faire des percepts". Deleuze.
(Boutang, P-A. (2004). L'Abécédaire de Gilles Deleuze. Film Ed. du Montparnasse)

C'est ce qui distingue le peintre du décorateur. Mon intention n'est absolument pas de faire de belles petites toiles décoratives que l'on peut accrocher au-dessus d'un canapé, mais d'explorer la pensée en images en tentant d'aller au-delà de la surface des choses.
Aller à la rencontre des éléments naturels et de l'esprit de la forêt, le laisser me guider et m'inspirer. M'imprégner des sensations et des perceptions apportées par le froid, la lumière, et la diversité des textures (écorce, terre, neige). C'est une autre façon d'embellir le quotidien, afin de le rendre plus supportable : fuir l'urbanité et retrouver l'essence même de la nature.