Lefebvre & Fils is pleased to announce Blumen, the second exhibition of work by the artist Roger Herman from 15 October to 18 November 2017.

 

Blumen, the fruit of a residence in collaboration with the gallery, presents a series of brightly coloured, glazed ceramics.

 

Roger Herman’s career, above all as a painter, is characterised by his exploration of controversial themes that associate references to eroticism – something that has always fascinated his public – with his personal research into colour.

 

For Herman, the essence of painting lies in protocols that negate surprise and allow the artist to control the medium; in contrast, ceramics represent a world of creative freedom ruled by chance.

 

If painting is akin to a form of written expression, ceramics are a tactile adventure. As if continuing his almost expressionistic work with colour, Herman considers this medium from a subjective viewpoint. Between control and spontaneity, the colours and shapes of his sculptural pieces clash as if endeavouring to inspire an emotional reaction.

 

This search for colour, always an emblematic feature of Roger Herman’s work, is central to Blumen. Colours cover the ceramics like a second skin, underlining the twists and curves that hint at optical illusions, whilst providing an emphatic final touch that emphasises the unique nature of Herman’s ceramic works. The warm and vivid colours catch the eye in a manner reminiscent of Emile Nolde’s paintings: in a veritable ode to the light of the West Coast of America, where Herman has been living for many years, Blumen proudly displays the flamboyant reds and oranges of sunset, vibrant yellows and deep ultramarines.

 

Roger Herman is still fascinated by the way colours change during firing, something he calls an ‘ironic’ margin of freedom. If shapes remain stable and find equilibrium in the kiln, colours conserve that very same unpredictability which lies at the heart of Roger Herman’s practice. Each ceramic conveys the impression that it is part of an ongoing learning process: no ascendancy subsists from one to another, so each new attempt gives rise to a totally unique and unexpected piece.