Femme plus, 2023

Ronald Chapeau  

Ronald Chapeau –

With , Ronald Chapeau presents a powerful and engaged work, positioned at the crossroads of pop art, street art, and contemporary collage. The composition features a fragmented female portrait, both assertive and introspective, set within an urban aesthetic defined by the layering of images, textures, and symbols.

The face, rendered in black and white, conveys a strong and timeless presence. It contrasts with bold areas of red and blue directly inspired by the iconography of the American flag, as well as with star motifs scattered across the surface of the canvas. These visual references, deliberately reappropriated, question notions of identity, power, and the representation of women in a society saturated with images and cultural codes.

Drips, splashes, and scratches disrupt the clarity of the portrait, introducing a tension between control and chaos. The painting appears both constructed and distressed, like an urban poster torn away, rewritten, and then re-exposed. This intentional alteration reinforces the living, assertive, and provocative character of the work.

The title suggests an expanded, plural femininity—one that transcends stereotypes and imposed definitions. Ronald Chapeau does not depict an idealized woman, but rather a free and self-affirmed figure shaped by the accumulation of gazes, narratives, and influences.

Through this work, the artist asserts a direct and impactful visual language, where portraiture becomes a space for dialogue between the personal and the political, between the individual and the collective symbols of our time.