3440 - GEORGES MATHIEU

GEORGES MATHIEU (Boulogne-sur-Mer 1921–2012 Paris) Saint Denis. 1965. Oil on canvas. Signed and dated lower right: Mathieu 65, and titled and dated on the stretcher: "SAINT DENIS" 1964. 162 × 97 cm. Certificate: Archives Jean-Marie Cusinberche on Georges Mathieu, Paris, October 2, 2026. Provenance: - Briest Auction, Paris, June 24, 1994, lot 10. - Private collection, Switzerland. After initially pursuing a degree in the humanities, Georges Mathieu turned to painting in the 1940s and developed an independent visual language based on spontaneity, speed, and gestural expression. A leading representative of Tachism and lyrical abstraction, he viewed painting as an immediate creative act in which lines, signs, and colors express inner energy. His calligraphic compositions demonstrate a keen sense of rhythm and pictorial structure. The oil painting “Saint Denis,” created in 1965, features a delicate, vertically oriented composition against a white background. At its center, turquoise-blue, white, and gold-colored lines converge into a complex network reminiscent of architectural structures or abstract writing. Long, fine strokes extend into the lower part of the painting, contrasting with the concentrated forms in the upper and middle sections. The generous areas of open space lend the composition a sense of lightness, making the individual marks appear almost weightless. The alternation between impasto application and fine lines creates a tension between the materiality of the paint and the lightness of the drawing. Despite its spontaneity, the composition follows a clear internal order. The title “Saint Denis” refers to Saint Dionysius of Paris, suggesting a historical and possibly religious association. However, no specific religious representation can be discerned. Rather, Mathieu draws on cultural and historical associations and translates them into his abstract visual language. The work is a characteristic example of lyrical abstraction in European postwar modernism. This movement turned away from both representational art and strictly geometric pictorial concepts. Mathieu combined the freedom of the immediate painting process with a deliberate organization of the picture surface. “Saint Denis” demonstrates how the artist creates an expressive composition while leaving room for different associations.