André Marfaing and Jean Dewasne: Comparison

14 February - 10 April 2008

orn in Lille, France in 1921, Jean Dewasne began exploring the art of painting at the age of 12. Dewasne continued to develop artistically, studying architecture at Paris' Ecole des Beaux-Arts, and eventually moving towards abstract painting during the 1940s. The Galerie Denise René in Paris was the first to believe in him, hosting exhibitions from 1945 to 1956. In 1946, Dewasne received the Kandinsky Prize, and the following year, was a member of the newly formed Salon des Réalités Nouvelles. In 1961, Dewasne's first exhibition in Italy took place at the Galleria Lorenzelli in Milano. Dewasne's “Antisculptures” shows his further progression towards the abstract, which continued into the 1980s, when he became a member of OuPeinPo. Dewanse died in Paris in 1999. 

By exhibiting works by Marfaing and Dewasne in the same space, Confronto allows the viewer to compare two artists who emerging from the same geographical and historical context developed very different styles. While Marfaing focuses on the sharp contrast between hues of white and black, color is of great importance in Dewasne's pieces. Dewasne pays close attention to geometrical forms, while Marfaing employs strong brush strokes that produce less structured images. Emotion and spontaneity seem to play a larger role in the creation of Marfaing's pieces than the neatly constructed and seemingly carefully planned works by Dewasne.