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San Francisco / New York

P i e r r e Mar i eBRISSON

P i e r r e Mar i e

BRISSON

A Touch of Mystery

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San Francisco / New York

3

For his third show at the Musée Faure in Aix-les-Bains in 2010, a repository of one of the best col-lections of 19th & 20th century art in France, Pierre Marie Brisson found, as Degas suggested, themeans for his emancipation. What he discovered there, especially in Degas’ ballerinas, was a newpoint of departure, and a new way to invent his own paintings. In a recent conversation withBrisson, he reflected on how he was inspired by Degas: “When one is not afraid to love other artist’s

work and be influenced by what one loves, one feels reassuredbecause of that love and then when one transcribes that influenceinto one’s own language, one truly has something to say.”

Brisson was stimulated not only by Degas’ works but also by hisway of working; Degas was inspired not just by his personal expe-rience of the ballet per-formances and danceclasses he attended, butalso by the extensiveresearch he did on theballet and the depictionof movement. Degas

compiled a large collection of photographs on the subjectsof dance and movement, which Brisson has done as well.

Degas revealed the everyday gestures of dancers in repose,their attitudes on stage as well as the detail and beauty oftheir costumes. He once confided that painting dancerswas just a pretext for, “painting pretty fabrics and rendering movement.” Brisson’s love of gesture,pattern, and texture reveals his similar mindset. Degas also commented that: “The secret is to fol-low the advice the masters give you in their works while doing something different from them.”Pierre Marie took both the inspiration and the advice from Degas as seen in many of his newestworks; but the inspiration has been filtered by Brisson’s creativity and transformed into his ownvery personal and poetic vision.L'Impression I, 2011

oil on canvas59 x 59 in.

COVER: Lucia (detail) 2011 (see page 60)

Degas, Ballet Dancers Rehearsing, 1877, fromhis sketchbooks

Degas, The Dance Class (detail)

Pierre Marie Brisson: A Touch of Mystery

“The museums are here to teach the history of art and somethingmore as well, for, if they stimulate in the weak the desire to imitate,

they furnish the strong the means of their emancipation.” – Edgar Degas

4 5

Every great artist must have a unique voice, different fromeveryone else’s and Pierre Marie Brisson is no exception. Theoriginality of that voice comes essentially from three differentcharacteristics: First, his unique way of connecting us with adistant past and making us experience that past in a very sen-sorial way in the present. The narrator in Proust’sRemembrance of Things Past experienced long-forgotten mem-ories of his childhood evoked by the dipping of a madeleinein his cup of tea.In a similar way,Brisson uses aseries of artistictechniques of hisown invention tocreate the patinaof time that con-nects us physicallywith the rich tex-

tures of his works and through them suggests memoriesof that which has gone before.

The second characteristic of Brisson’s voice is his uniquedepiction of space. Comparing his flower paintings totraditional still lives, (a recurrent theme of art), a strik-ing difference emerges; unlike typical paint-ings of flowers which are in some sort of con-tainer on a table, or on a tangible surface,Brissonian flowers exist in a poetic space, theyfloat, gravity has disappeared, and there isnone of the traditional “grounding.” Theybring to mind Degas’ suggestion that “a paint-ing requires a little mystery, some vagueness,and some fantasy.” To create this vaguenessand mystery, Brisson has worked many of hislatest paintings quite differently. His newtouch is very soft, very pastel, lightly veiled.He describes it as “seeing the canvas throughlace.” This effect also reinforces the poeticquality of that Brissonian suggestion of space.

The third characteristic of Brisson’s unique voice is a very rich, personal, and evocative use of color.When I first met Pierre Marie Brisson some 25 years ago, he lived near the Cathedral of Chartres. Thissublime example of gothic architecture is visited by countless artists who want to experience and learnfrom the amazing colors of its medieval stained-glass windows. Experiencing them will change forev-er your appreciation of and “visceral” connection to color. Like Vincent Van Gogh before him, whenBrisson moved south he discovered the colors of the Camargue. The rich yellows of the fields of sun-flowers, the blue of the sky reflected in the waters of the delta of the Rhône, the pink flamingos, thereds of the ever present bullrings, the constantly changing colors of the salt marshes where the fleur desel dries, and the rich ocher of the soil of his vineyards, all would find their way onto his palette. Thecolors of the Camargue are made even richer by the beauty and intensity of the light which is reflect-ed in the ever-present waters of this French version of the Everglades.

The personal way of linking the present to the past, the poetic depiction of space and the evocative useof colors are the characteristics that give Brisson’s voice such a special touch. All these qualities are pres-ent in the paintings featured in this exhibition.The dancers -- graceful, feminine, eternal;the poetic and mysterious Brissonianflowers; and a series of portraits,inspired by people in his lifeespecially his daughter, butwhich reflect a universalquality. Asked what hewished to impart to thosewho come to see hiswork, Brisson said,“More than ever todayone must teach peoplehow to develop theirinquisitiveness. Inorder to do that it ismore interesting toleave the door ajar thenwide open. If every-thing is said, the magicdisappears.”

–Jean Audigier, Ph.D.

Dept. of Art & ArchitectureUniversity of San Francisco

BrissonAtsila, 2011

mixed media on wood27 in. diameter

Brisson, Propositions IV (detail) - see page 67

Brisson, Love III - see page 12

Brisson, Nos Belles Années I - see page 52

76

Le Final, 2011oil on canvas59 x 59 in.

98

Belle Soiree, 2011oil on canvas47 x 47 in.Invitation Romaine, 2011

oil on canvas59 x 59 in.

10 11

Ava, 2011mixed media on wood

27 x 19 in.

La Demoiselle d'Honneur, 2011oil on canvas39 x 39 in.

1312

Love III, 2011oil on canvas39 x 39 in.

Gestuelle III, 2011oil on canvas47 x 47 in.

15

Propositions III, 2011oil on canvas31 x 31 in.

16 17

Love VI, 2011oil on canvas39 x 39 in.Tout Simplement I, 2011

oil on canvas45 x 35 in.

1918

Gestuelle II, 2011oil on canvas47 x 47 in.

Miroir III, 2011oil on canvas39 x 31 in.

21

Nos Belles Années III, 2011oil on canvas51 x 63 in.

22 23

La Dame au Chapeau, 2011mixed media on wood

27 x 19 in.

Hadara, 2011mixed media on wood

27 in. diameter

Antoinette, 2011mixed media on wood

27 in. diameter

Hassina, 2011mixed media on wood

27 x 19 in.

24 25

Le Jardin des Danseuses, 2011oil on canvas45 x 35 in.

D'Après Degas, 2011oil on canvas39 x 39 in.

27

ABOVE

Gestuelle I, 2011oil on canvas47 x 47 in.

OPPOSITE

Elégance III, 2011oil on canvas36 x 28 in.

26

2928

Nos Belles Années II, 2011oil on canvas51 x 63 in.

Miroir I, 2011oil on canvas39 x 31 in.

3130

Love IV, 2011oil on canvas39 x 39 in.

Love II, 2011oil on canvas39 x 39 in.

33

La Joueuse de Flûte, 2011oil on canvas28 x 23 in.

34 35

Egla, 2011mixed media on wood

29 x 19 in. Les Elégantes, 2011oil on canvas59 x 59 in.

3736

La Pose, 2011oil on canvas51 x 63 in.

Classique II, 2011oil on canvas36 x 28 in.

39

ABOVE

Miroir II, 2011oil on canvas39 x 31 in.

OPPOSITE

Marianna, 2011oil on canvas28 x 23 in.

4140

Maria, 2011oil on canvas59 x 59 in.

Love I, 2011oil on canvas39 x 39 in.

42 43

La Danseuse Espagnole, 2011oil on canvas51 x 63 in.

Elégance I, 2011oil on canvas36 x 28 in.

44 45

Marylyne, 2011oil on canvas35 x 45 in.

Morceaux Choisis I, 2011oil on canvas31 x 31 in.

4746

Tout Simplement II, 2011oil on canvas45 x 35 in.

Tout Simplement III, 2011oil on canvas45 x 35 in.

4948

Proposition I, 2011oil on canvas31 x 31 in. Joli Moment, 2011

oil on canvas59 x 59 in.

51

L'Espagnole, 2011oil on canvas39 x 39 in.

52 53

Nos Belles Années I, 2011oil on canvas51 x 63 in.

Vénitienne, 2011mixed media on wood

27 x 19 in.

Camille, 2011mixed media on wood

27 in. diameter

5554

Bien Heureuse, 2011oil on canvas59 x 59 in.

Classique III, 2011oil on canvas36 x 28 in.

56

Agitation, 2011oil on canvas51 x 63 in.

58

Morceaux Choisis II, 2011oil on canvas31 x 31 in.

59

60

ABOVE

Lucia, 2011oil on canvas47 x 47 in.

OPPOSITE

Classique I, 2011oil on canvas36 x 28 in.

6362

Elégance II, 2011oil on canvas36 x 28 in.

Indirah, 2011oil on canvas47 x 47 in.

64 65

Propositions II, 2011oil on canvas31 X 31 in.

Ayala, 2011mixed media on wood

27 in. diameter

Hanita, 2011mixed media on wood

27 in. diameter

66

Propositions IV, 2011oil on canvas31 x 31 in.

67

6968

L'Indonesienne I, 2011oil on canvas59 x 59 in.

AgitationAntoinetteAtsilaAvaAyalaBelle SoireeBien HeureuseCamilleClassique IClassique IIClassique IIID'Après DegasEglaElégance IElégance IIElégance IIIGestuelle IGestuelle IIGestuelle IIIHadaraHanitaHassinaIndirahInvitation RomaineJoli MomentLa Dame au ChapeauLa Danseuse EspagnoleLa Demoiselle d'HonneurLa Joueuse de FlûteLa PoseLe Final

Le Jardin des DanseusesLes ElégantesL'EspagnoleL'Impression IL'IndienneL'Indonesienne ILove ILove IILove IIILove IVLove VILove VIILuciaMariaMariannaMarylyneMiroir IMiroir IIMiroir IIIMorceaux Choisis IMorceaux Choisis IINos Belles Années INos Belles Années IINos Belles Années IIIPropositions IPropositions IIPropositions IIIPropositions IVTout Simplement ITout Simplement IITout Simplement IIIVénitienne

INDEX56-5723510659555361365425344362272618132365226384922421132-33377

243550-512Back cover684130123117Title pages604038452939194458-59522820-21486414-1566-6716464753

SPRING 2012 PROJECT MANAGERS: STACEY BELLIS AND MATT GEARY

ART PHOTOGRAPHY: PIERRE SCHWARTZ / PHOTO OF THE ARTIST: JEAN EMMANUEL HAY

CATALOG DESIGN: D. LEE MYERS

BACK COVER: L'Indienne 2011 oil on canvas 59 x 59 in.

70

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