Untitled_2005

About Untitled_2005

This contemporary abstract painting by Paul Fournier captures the tropical blue waters of the Caribbean.

In the 1960s, Paul Fournier spent days snorkelling in the azure blue waters of the Bahamas, mesmerized by the brilliant colours of the sea and plant life. For decades, this important Canadian artist has been inspired to explore the language of colour and expressive form. This untitled piece—highly textured brushstrokes in blue and white that resemble water is anchored by a spontaneous melange of colour—yellows, red, pink, purple and green. As with all of Fournier’s work, there is a palpable energy evident in the dynamic form and inspired colour palette.

“As a painter, I’m doing the same thing with colour, shape and movement that a musician does.” Paul Fournier

“Fournier’s passionate dialogue with both nature and the stuff of painting links even his most diverse works. No matter how potent the allusion, Fournier, as a highly intuitive artist with a profound belief in the expressive power of his materials, always makes us aware of the sensuality of paint, the excitement of the act of painting.” Karen Wilkin, Art Critic

Paul Fournier was born during the Great Depression in Simcoe, Ontario. He first studied at the Ontario College of Art and Design in 1959 and went on to study printmaking at McMaster University in Hamilton in 1967. Fournier also received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Sir Wilfrid Laurier University in 1996, where he’d also been the artist in residence. Inspired by the Fauvist colours of Matisse, Fournier became a member of a group of artists in Toronto who were mentored by Jack Bush and together explored modernist expressionism. During a career that spans six decades, Fournier has had solo exhibitions in several Canadian cities and in the U.S. His work is held in private collections in North and South America and Europe. Public collections include the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Gallery of Canada and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington.