1. Philosophical and Artistic Synthesis

This work embodies a dialectic between memory and erasure, where Van Gogh's classical portrait becomes a field of metaphysical experimentation. Subrealism, as an extension of the pictorial unconscious, merges gestural Abstract Expressionism (Pollock, De Kooning) and their surrealist Master André Masson during his stay in the United States, reinterpreting this with a contemplative approach specific to the philosophy of absence (Blanchot, Derrida). The portrait is no longer a representation, but a trace: the "forgotten lines" symbolize fragments of identity that escape figuration, questioning the permeability between self and the world.

2. Hybrid Materiality: Physical and Digital Canvas :

- Gestural Acrylic Painting: The canvas becomes a palimpsest where impulsive brushstrokes evoke Van Gogh's torments, while dissolving his features into organized chaos.

- Minimalist Digital Animation: Through frame-by-frame work, the lines fade or regenerate, simulating a mnemonic cycle. This technique embodies the "digital subculture," where the work is no longer a static object but a mutating ecosystem, reflecting the fluid identities of social media.

3. Allegory of Duality: Between Classicism and Deconstruction :

The piece explores the utopia of "positivity in darkness," dear to Van Gogh, by transposing his inner struggle into a contemporary language. The tensions between physical and digital, figuration and abstraction, evoke the coexistence of opposites—a central theme for the artist, magnified here by the hybridization of media. Xanthopsia is no longer a pathological symptom, but a metaphor for art's ability to transform perception.

4. Reinvention and Cultural Heritage :

This reinterpretation goes beyond homage to question the notion of originality in the digital age. By animating the "forgotten lines," the work becomes a moving mirror onto which the viewer projects their own interpretation, updating Van Gogh's vision in a context of information overload. The artistic gesture asserts itself as an act of resistance against oblivion, while accepting the ephemeral as a condition of creation.

Conclusion :

"Forgotten Lines of Portraiture" synthesizes modernist heritage and digital subversions, making portraiture a space for meditation on the fragility of identity. The Xanthopsia collection, as a whole, thus embodies a utopian vision: art as a laboratory where the dystopias of reality are transmuted into visual poetry.

Forgotten Lines of Portraiture: Xanthopsia 177 :

Tribute to Van Gogh:

« Self-portrait, winter 1886-87 »

in Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art collection

Digital art version :

2160 x 3840 px / 4K MP4 / 114 Mo / 8 fps / 1/1 édition on @objktcom