In Ma Desheng's dialogues, one finds a vocabulary bridging the mineral landscape and human anatomy. His paintings of stones and rocks blend sensuality and vital energy to render an organic and powerful composition.
Opening on March 14th from 6pm to 9pm in the presence of the artist.
"Ma’s Colours" represents an exploration of colors that adhere to the same dialectic as his inspiration from Henri Matisse. Ma Desheng, a self-taught Chinese artist, continuously pushes the boundaries of art in post-Maoist China. As the founder of the "Xing Xing" (The Stars) group in 1979, the young artist organized an exhibition bringing together 23 artists on the gates of the National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) in Beijing. In the future, this event will be considered a landmark, the foundational act of contemporary art in China.
Ma Desheng began his career with wood engravings. Working as a technical draftsman at a factory during the day, the young artist would return very late in the evening to work on his engravings. This art form was obvious to him because it did not require much light for expression. Through a French diplomat friend, the artist acquired a book by Matisse, which proved to be a real revelation for young Ma.
The discovery of Matisse's color compositions revealed an artistic universe that he was previously unaware of. The artist delved into abstraction, initially experimenting with inks, eventually leading to abstract painting and sculpture. In Ma Desheng's dialogues, one finds a vocabulary between mineral landscape and human anatomy. His paintings of stones and rocks blend sensuality and vital energy to create an organic and powerful composition. A man with a body broken by fate, after a childhood spent battling polio, then becoming hemiplegic in adulthood - Ma Desheng has become the allegory of the inexhaustible artist, a true rock in a constantly changing landscape. Through his resistance and resilience, the artist's work embodies creative energy.
"Ma’s Colours" is the result of over forty years of appropriation, leading to the creation of his own identity through these new compositions. By showcasing his stone formations with his pastel-colored palette, Ma Desheng imagines what Matisse could have achieved if he had known these contemporary colors. Echoing this homage to Matisse's colors, the lines of his drawings find a three-dimensional resonance, thanks to Ma Desheng's creations. Metal sculptures are displayed on three floors in the A2Z gallery in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, offering visitors splashes of colors to interpret freely.
