Les cerises de l’archiduchesse

In Les cerises de l’archiduchesse, from a body of work produced in 1978—the year he returned to painting—Pierre Gauvreau demonstrates complete mastery of his art form. With its expressive and expansive brushstrokes, a bold and energized palette, and wet-on-wet execution, the painting conforms to a singular vision driven by frenzied yet supple gestures and clean lines. The exuberance of his strokes, like vital energy, is manifest, deliberate, unrepentant; the Automatistes’ every achievement is here, in piercing tones. Dominating, luminous, yellow and blue masses form the painting’s central foundation, surrounded by a buzzing, quivering vegetal universe.