Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Landscape, 2021

Christian Manoury  

Contemporary abstract expressionist acrylic in green and peach of a landscape on paper by French artist Christian Manoury. Signed bottom right. Dated 2021 and signed to the reverse. Presented in a custom made white case frame.

A beautiful painting with bold brushstrokes of gorgeous green and peach, light and ethereal. Manoury cleverly both captures the light within his colour and at the same time allows it to pass through. The use of colour is refreshing and rejuvenating. A spring day in a painting. Manoury has cleverly used the palette knife to build up the paint and create texture at times whilst at other times allowing the light to flow through some areas of colour with lighter brushstrokes. This work was painted during a period of lockdown in 2021 and represents the landscape the artist could see at that time as viewed from above. So what we see are the contours of the land interspersed with hedges, trees, areas of grass and earth. In a way this references Aboriginal art where paintings  reflect a journey along a landscape as seen from above.

Born in Paris, Manoury studied Fine Art at the Grande Chaumière, Paris. He had his first show at Galerie Audouin, St Germain, Paris.

He spent the 80s and 90s working as a free-lance fashion designer for various luxury brands, travelling worldwide. Christian has always been interested in Art with a particular fascination for African and Papua New Guinean Tribal Art and has built up an important private collection over the years. He has also contributed to various other prestigious collections.

In 1994 he spent time as full-time artist painter in the Hamptons, under the wing of Larry Rivers.

This was followed by a period of designing furniture and more fashion, but Christian has always kept a studio wherever he lived (New York/Paris/London/Spain..) and enjoys painting whenever time allows. Today he paints full-time in the South of France where he now resides.

Christian says ; « Painting for me is COSA MENTALE »

Where the first paintings were figurative and subjective, searching for the meaning of being and the origin, his latest work is more impressionistic and minimalist.

His travelling companion is the music of Debussy, Satie and Philip Glass.