Des Lucréce

This piece explores the aesthetic of antique asian art style and  is a calling back to his childhood memory of his grandmother's lacquer collection. A  surreal mountainscape emerging from a sea of darkness, only brightened up by the grazing light of the horizon,  the reflection of those stylized oriental clouds and the falling cherry blossom leaf suspending time in a meditative state reminds us of the landscape of the south of Asia and how they have been transcripted throughout history by their native artist.

The universe of this piece is anxiety inducing, bathing in a dark blue color (a color historically associated with emptiness), the lone and solitary character similar to Caspar David Friedrich’s iconic “Wanderer above the Sea of Fog” is romantically contemplating the serene emptiness of darkness while above, way up in the night sky,  the monumental ghost of his forgotten demon is paradoxically glancing back at his one self. 

This piece is like contemplating the night sky, it's beautiful and filled with shining flickering light although beyond it there is an infinite and terrifying darkness, the vertigo of our insignificance compared to the immensity of the universe, questioning us on the meaning of our existence.

From the piece radiate a sentiment of “let-go”, a strange sense of Zen, making us wonder if perhaps everything comes out of emptiness. Perhaps referencing here one of the ten Oxherding pictures, a fundamental production of Zen buddhism practice. This emptiness is not a vacuum but the possibility of endless transformations preceding enlightenment. 

Most likely an allegory of the artist block, faced not with the challenge of a blank page but with the obstacle of a page darkened by everything that he has made through his life and everything that was made before him. So darkened, so narrowed down, so filled to the last bit that it ends up appearing completely empty to the point that the only way to shine through is perhaps embracing it. DesLucrece via his style full of simplicity and subtility manage to bring meaning to vacuity like many Ukyo-e and Nanga Masters paintings such as Hokusai have done before him.

Part of the "Monsters Paradise" serie

Artist note: "The moment we become aware of our ego."