Hervé Creff
13 . April – 25 . May . 2024
New fleeting and privileged encounter with Hervé Creff to better apprehend the nature and depth of his current work. Hervé navigates between the two poles formed by abstraction (as of simplification) and figuration. Born of this duality, appears the mindset that allows him to challenge his artistic universe, to apprehend it in order to denote it on a surface, canvas and/or paper. However, his work proceeds as an introspective and instinctive approach, guided by the feeling of letting go. This process is doubled by a search of personal (re)focusing as well as a will of meditative research to better nourish the physical activity of painting. The liveliness and elegance of the movement sublimate the colorless surface of the base and its surfacing. Thus, establishing the space of the painting.
For Hervé, each piece is a personal and sincere experience. Outside of his workshop, through the contemplation of landscapes and their exploration, the mental exploitation of the memory takes place. Back to workshop, a will of an ever-moving soberness steps in. Hervé seeks – or rather finds – what resembles the essence of a representation form, for all that, without locking himself in it. His working methods, set and non-fixed, play with effects of plating, scraping, taking part in constant research of harmony, texturing the light.
Hervé distrusts pre-conceived ideas. As he is freed from reason’s restraints, he allows his instinct, his emotions, to take over. In his work approach, we notice the recurrence of several patterns: volcanoes, horses, Mickeys, sometimes questioning figures, under-covered by a mystery-like sense of familiarity. These elements seem to burst with no forethought. We are at the center of an initiation, the object of a contemplative invitation.
Upon the observation of his last pieces, we guess an enrichment in his expression. Hervé glides towards a universe that is richer, more diversified. An assumed duality that opposes the strictness of the composition to the exuberance of shapes and colors for an all-winning union. Coming from mastered minimalism and to a more baroque expression, the artist transforms and dares defy the limits of his own style to embrace a renewed creative freedom.
– Pierre Funes (Translated from French)
