The Aesthetic quality of Carzou

Article based on reflexions taken from Robert Delahaut et André Verdet.

To see the original work of these authors, consult:

Venise dans l'oeuvre de Carzou, published by "Terre d'Europe"

Provence, published by "A.Sauret", Monaco1966

«A Carzou», is immediately recognisable because Jean Carzou's personality is such a strong presence in his work. Firstly there are the bright colours which go from warm reds, to blue-greens, via the sulphurous tones in between. Then there is his powerful, nervous graphic style, to which he adds a variety of symbols, such as doors, wheels, trees, and porticos...

His talent for perspective and his theatrical side can be seen in all his work. However, to understand his work we need to go further than the immediate image, because Carzou was a visionary more than anything else.

With the eyes of a  Poet, he painted an imaginery world, somewhere between dreams and reality, between the past and the present, between his lust for life and the presence of death.

Look at :

 «Eve»1966 and the symbiosis between Eve and the surrounding vegetation. 

 The landscapes, where canons exist alongside agricultural machines synonymous with peacetime. 

 Deserted areas, inhabited only by lost souls, suggesting a forgotten world full of mystery.

 Wide-eyed priestesses, in front of a window, symbol of freedom.

 Palaces in ruins, tall ships without sails, moored in deserted ports, full of nostalgia for the past. 

                                                                                                                  Danièle Sicard

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