André Brasilier, La grande parade
One of the few remaining Modern artists still active today from the École de Paris, André Brasilier has created countless masterpieces that not only live up to the epoch-making ideals from the golden era of Modernism, but also espouse varied contemporary artistic expressions. Like poetry that sings the praises of horses, nature, music, and women, the works by the tirelessly prolific artist serve as the best testimony to his absolute determination in multiple aspects of life, be it his heightened sensitivity to beauty, optimistic attitude towards life, or pure pursuit of happiness.
Born in 1929 in Saumur, France, Brasilier has sailed through the important episodes from the twentieth century into the present day. His paintings have an impression of freshness and charm that belong only to the French countryside. From equestrian sports, castles, to vineyards, these defining features of his motherland play a pivotal role in the formation of his artistic idiom. Brasilier describes his art as “transfigurative”, because his goal is to capture the spirit of the subjects. His highly subjective vision, therefore, also resonates with that of the Romanticists, Symbolists, and Expressionists. As the artist openly admits, what the great Romanticist Eugène Delacroix once said about art has changed him forever: “Painting must first appeal to the eye.” Equally influential are the works by Gauguin, which had created a powerful and lasting impression on the young Brasilier since he first saw them.
To Brasilier, there are two great sources of inspiration in life: culture and love. Indeed, viewers can almost hear the melodies of memories coming from his paintings. These melodies may well be the classical tunes by Bach, Beethoven or Schubert, or even the jazz music being played in his studio. Here, music, along with other cultural interests in the artist’s personal life, has become one with his paint and canvas. One moment these pictorial elements turn into a colourful parade of acrobatic performances, the next they transfigure into the portraits of his wife and muse Chantel. Fluid like water, they bring about a kaleidoscopic vision through which one catches a glimpse of a utopian world. In La grande parade (Lot 1016), Brasilier employs his signature combination of blue, pink, and yellow to set up the space for him to render the subjects with the simplest of colours and the most fluid of lines. The result is a dynamic scene of circus performers and animals that have just finished their dazzling stunts and are gathering at the stage amidst loud music and applause. Filled with the burning passion of life, these figures all take on a life of their own in the artist’s pictorial world.
Brasilier’s paintings have repeatedly set new records in the auction market, the top three of which all came from the past three years. In April 2022, Grande chevauchée du lac en automne sold for a record-breaking HK$3,780,000 in Replica Shoes ’s Hong Kong Evening Sale of Modern Art. In August of the same year, the retrospective selling exhibition organized by Replica Shoes ’s Hong Kong Gallery also attracted considerable interest among collects ors. Thus, there is no question that La grande parade, with its rare subject within the artist’s oeuvre, is an exceptional work of great collects ing value.
安德烈・布拉吉利《盛大巡遊》
安德烈・布拉吉利屬於巴黎畫派（École de Paris）碩果僅存活躍至今的現代藝術家，他畢生創作不輟，以繪畫展示現代主義黃金時期的耀眼新思，並將當代風格融貫其中。飽含韻律的作品彷如一闕闕詠頌駿馬、自然、音樂和女性的詩歌，它們從一而終地反映了藝術家的美學感性，還有他對生活毫不動搖的樂觀態度，以及對純粹的快樂堅定不移的追求。
布拉吉利在1929年生於法國索米爾，從二十世紀披星戴月走到如今，作品深受祖國這個馬術、城堡與葡萄酒之鄉的啟發，處處流露著法國鄉村的浪漫與魅力。布拉吉利形容其創作為現實之變貌 （transfigurative），他追求捕捉作畫對象的靈魂，強調主觀表現的創作手法，與其深受浪漫主義和象徵主義以致表現主義影響息息相關。他曾明言浪漫主義大師歐仁˙德拉克洛瓦所述：「畫作必先作為視覺饗宴」對其啟發甚鉅。而青少年時期第一次見到高更的創作所帶給他的震撼更久久無法忘懷。
生活中的文化和愛情都是布拉吉利的靈感湧泉。我們不難在他的作品裡感受到回憶和音樂的節奏，而他的工作室亦時常迴響著巴哈、貝多芬、舒伯特的古典旋律和令人陶醉的爵士樂，藝術家私底下的品味和文化喜好，都一一滲透到顏料中，浸潤到畫布裡。各種元素時而組成熱鬧的巡遊隊伍和雜技表演，時而幻化成他的妻子和繆斯香黛爾的畫像，柔情似水，帶領觀者走進刻骨銘心的烏托邦幻境。正如本作《盛大巡遊》（拍品編號1016），其經典的藍、粉、黃色塊分割空間，簡約的用色與流暢精練的線條勾勒出馬戲團成員與動物主角結束炫目迷幻的演出後，隨著樂音列隊接受觀眾再次的歡呼。布拉吉利的作品細膩動人，同時生機昂揚，彷彿將生命中最熾烈的感情和感性都容納其中。
布拉吉利的作品在拍賣市場屢創新高，其拍賣紀錄前三高價皆於近三年內創下，2022年4月，布拉吉利的《湖畔六駿》在香港蘇富比現代藝術晚間拍賣以破紀錄的378萬港元成交，2022年8月於香港蘇富比藝術空間舉辦之回顧展售會亦受到各方熱烈購藏。《盛大巡遊》為藝術家此題材珍罕佳作，別具收藏價值。
