The French Abstract painter Pierre Wemaëre was born on October 1, 1913 in Comines, Flanders, and he died in Versailles January 8, 2010. Because of World War One, his family moved from Comines to Versailles. Wemaëre is a patriot and a Catholic, he dislikes publicity, he is a very modest person, he is apolitical, he lives a quiet unobtrusive life in Versailles, the former Residential City of the kingdom of France. Wemaëre has always differed from the established art world's idea about "the artist" by never being engaged in any revolutionary movement as well as never having a liking for political organizations and by never having promoted himself. However, once in a while, Wemaëre has commented on political events e.g. Hitler's occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939, the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact invasion of Prague and the May Revolt of 1968:
"As you can see, I am living between two churches and their crosses. I am a Catholic..."
"Moreover I am apolitical, neither left-wing nor right-wing. Certainly not left-wing, as young people today seem to be. A logical result of my upbringing. I am the son of a general and stand by my bourgeois origin. I never felt like a revolutionary".
My outlook on life has not been conducive to my career, I don't want to go against my convictions. If my paintings are good everything else seems unimportant. Furthermore I am not an intellectual, just a craftsman, who has his heart and his feelings involved in all aspects of his work."
"What is most important in life?" "As I told you, I believe in God, and I think, the most important thing we can do is prepare for life after death. As I have always felt it important to keep self-control, this can have limited my artistically display. Neither do I like to speak about my paintings. Paintings ought to speak by themselves. Giving titles should not be necessary. When I am painting, I never think of titles. I am just painting. That's all."
"You seem to be a happy person" ... "It is a part of my education: do not show feelings, never complain. I think it is my family heritage. Notice, often my paintings show a sort of tristesse. Sadness".
From "Georg Andresen, 1971, "Pierre Wemaëre". Galerie Moderne, Silkeborg, 2001"
"Moreover I am apolitical, neither left-wing nor right-wing. Certainly not left-wing, as young people today seem to be. A logical result of my upbringing. I am the son of a general and stand by my bourgeois origin. I never felt like a revolutionary".
My outlook on life has not been conducive to my career, I don't want to go against my convictions. If my paintings are good everything else seems unimportant. Furthermore I am not an intellectual, just a craftsman, who has his heart and his feelings involved in all aspects of his work."
"What is most important in life?" "As I told you, I believe in God, and I think, the most important thing we can do is prepare for life after death. As I have always felt it important to keep self-control, this can have limited my artistically display. Neither do I like to speak about my paintings. Paintings ought to speak by themselves. Giving titles should not be necessary. When I am painting, I never think of titles. I am just painting. That's all."
"You seem to be a happy person" ... "It is a part of my education: do not show feelings, never complain. I think it is my family heritage. Notice, often my paintings show a sort of tristesse. Sadness".
From "Georg Andresen, 1971, "Pierre Wemaëre". Galerie Moderne, Silkeborg, 2001"
In his first abstractions he used figurative elements, e.g. a face, a creature or organic formations, e.g. trees and plants; from 1955, his paintings took the step into pure abstraction liberated from figuration. In Wemaëre's abstract expressive paintings the colors make an appointment with each other: on one hand, very contrast-rich vigorous color formations, every painting has a strong expressive quality; on the other, the lighter color scheme without contrasting colors, with expressivity created by heavy brushstrokes.
Wemaëre's paintings, tapestries, watercolors, Indian ink drawings and mixed techniques are color symphonies evoking feelings of anxiety, of melancholy, of pleasure.
Wemaëre has never tried to create "meaning in art", if the spectator wants to find a meaning in his artistic expression, it is up to the spectator alone, from his or her own moral, ethical, cultural or other understanding of reality to search for it in his abstract universe or let abstraction be abstraction.
Wemaëre has never been comme il faut in his native country, his place in the French art world has been solitary. In the last few years interest has increased. He does not send work to the Salon, he exhibits with pleasure on request from museums and galleries, he often exhibits his work in Denmark , he is lavishly represented first and foremost at Silkeborg Museum of Art - many of the works are donations from Asger Jorn, and exhibitions of his works are regularly held at Galerie Moderne in Silkeborg. He has received acknowledgement from fellow artists and others, who consider his works to be some of the best artistic expression created in French art in the 20th century. (arslonga.dk)
Wemaëre's paintings, tapestries, watercolors, Indian ink drawings and mixed techniques are color symphonies evoking feelings of anxiety, of melancholy, of pleasure.
Wemaëre has never tried to create "meaning in art", if the spectator wants to find a meaning in his artistic expression, it is up to the spectator alone, from his or her own moral, ethical, cultural or other understanding of reality to search for it in his abstract universe or let abstraction be abstraction.
Wemaëre has never been comme il faut in his native country, his place in the French art world has been solitary. In the last few years interest has increased. He does not send work to the Salon, he exhibits with pleasure on request from museums and galleries, he often exhibits his work in Denmark , he is lavishly represented first and foremost at Silkeborg Museum of Art - many of the works are donations from Asger Jorn, and exhibitions of his works are regularly held at Galerie Moderne in Silkeborg. He has received acknowledgement from fellow artists and others, who consider his works to be some of the best artistic expression created in French art in the 20th century. (arslonga.dk)
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