Study    Biography    Interview    « Previous | Next »

Mutation rythmique bi-jaune is a large-scale painting composed of vertical stripes, of equal width, in varying hues of yellow, orange and brown. Each colour band has straight, distinct edges separating it from the others. The paint is applied in a uniform flat fashion and covers the entirety of the canvas. The juxtaposition of the coloured bands creates the illusion that some of the stripes are closer to the surface than others, and that the areas where the colours meet are moving or vibrating. These visual tricks identify this work with the Op Art movement. In purely technical terms, the sharply delineated areas of colour place this work also in the Hard Edge movement popularized by American artists like Ellsworth Kelly and Frank Stella. In the Quebec context. Mutation rhythmique bi-jaune is a product of Molinari’s dedication to the Neo-Plasticist approach that rejected the Automatist idea of spontaneous, objective abstraction in favour of a dedication to formal qualities of pure colour and geometric forms.

Note
To fully appreciate the formal qualities and optical illusions important in this work, it is necessary to view it in person. This text describes the work as seen in a gallery setting.

Zoom