Kois, 2024

Hervé Maury  

Hervé Maury paints animals in the same way as landscapes or portraits, creating ‘living natures’ that are both funny and seductive in their apparent simplicity. Pigments and other materials mingle, movement and relief emerge, fixing a special moment on each canvas. The artist turns her enchanted bestiary into a family of everyday accomplices in search of exoticism and absolute poetry. This captivating work features a group of koi carp, magnificently arranged on a textured canvas. The dominant tones of red, orange and beige breathe a vibrant warmth into the composition, while the energetic brushstrokes add a striking dynamic. Each fish seems to move with grace, capturing the essence of aquatic life with almost photographic precision. The contrast between the bright colours of the carp and the subtle background creates an intriguing depth. The artist manages to marry abstraction and realism, capturing both raw energy and meditative tranquillity. The composition conveys a natural harmony, underlining the elegance of these aquatic creatures in their habitat. This piece is unique in its ability to evoke both movement and serenity, a duality that few works manage to balance with such delicacy.