FRANCOIS NOËL
530 West 25th Street, New York, NY
French artist François Noël paints geometrical abstractions that challenge our perception of time and space. Noël’s passion for straight lines was first ignited when working for an architect in London, drawing blueprints. There he grew fascinated with the angularity of skyscrapers and the way the light was reflected on the glass facades, day and night. An admirer of French-Hungarian Op Art pioneer Victor Vasarely, Noël undertook his own quest for optical wizardry; gauging how far he could push a flat surface to three-dimensionality. Using square and rectangle shapes in primary colors, Noël magnetizes the viewer into tunnels of galactic matter; games of mirrors that project our vision into the infinity of space; quadrilateral panels receding, rearranging, and rotating like giant Rubik’s cubes.
To achieve this effect, he uses a combination of acrylic, gouache, and spray paint on plexiglass or Dibond–an aluminum composite panel–supports that help him convey greater smoothness and depth. The illusion is brought even further when the work is hung before a source of light. The resulting palette is a darker, brighter version of the original that takes on an even more mystical quality. Noël’s wonderous spectacles of make-believe challenge our power of observation. The dramas he stages follow a shifting choreography, where players come and go at will; luring us in, spinning us around, until we don’t quite know where we first started or where we ought to go next.
FRANÇOIS NOËL ON
Abstract Star, 2023
Acrylic & spraypaint on aluminum panel
Abstract Steel, 2023
I create geometric and colorful abstractions that deceive the eye inspired by urban architecture and Op Art. I am fascinated by the glass facades of skyscrapers, how the sun glimmers on the surface of buildings, and the vibrancy of advertisement signs. By deconstructing existing forms I see in my surroundings, I convey the illusion of three-dimensionality through the use of trompe l’oeil, perspective, and materials that enhance spatial depth, such as plexiglass, plastic, and Dibond. My goal is for the viewer to completely immerse themselves into the work, so that the barrier separating them from the painting is completely dissolved. By ushering them into a world of illusion, I open portals into the infinity of space and time.
ORIGINAL FRANCOIS NOËL ARTWORKS ON
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