For this new exhibition at the Atelier Piece Unique, Jérôme Bouscarat is not afraid of anything. He attacks a demigod, Heracles (Hercules in Roman mythology) and his most famous exploits, the Twelve Labors. “Heracles is often presented as a sort of superhero, forgetting the tragic dimension of the myth. But he does not solve these trials easily, because it is a punishment to absolve the death of his wife and children. By the way, one of the translations of the Greek word for “work” is “fatigue”. It is this complexity of ancient myths that I love. To deal with this abundant theme, rich in twists and turns, the artist paradoxically went to the purity. He temporarily gave up painting for the whiteness of the paper combined with the black of India ink. “I wanted to minimize the tools, the material and style effects, to see what would emerge from this simplicity. In ebony ink, a little orange-red is added to acrylic or watercolor. This scarlet note refers to the red silhouettes on a black background of ancient Greek vases. But it is also an allusion to the blood shed by the adversaries of Hercules. Jérôme Bouscarat does not seek to illustrate the original text, he leaves himself free to cross roads, with their inaccuracies and diversions. “Sometimes there is in my Hercules a bit of Gilgamesh, another heroic figure, whose epic evokes the human condition, the inevitable death. »With this curiosity and this love of art which are his, the artist gives us a series of expressive and human works. This series of drawings on paper is a first. Until now, Jérôme Bouscarat kept this work a secret from the workshop. “I am very happy to draw. The drawing has a jubilant side for me. These works on paper are really what I want to create. There is no doubt that by seeing them, you will share this pleasure!
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