Signed
Size (inches) : 13 (h) x 9.5 (w)
Size (cm) : 33 (h) x 24.1 (w)
Frame Size (inches) : 21 (h) x 17.5 (w)
Frame Size (cm) : 53.3 (h) x 44.4 (w)
View on background colour: Dark Graphite
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Circa 1950
Provenance: Private Collection, New York
Claude Venard’s Le Damier is a richly layered still life that demonstrates the artist’s remarkable ability to fuse structure, abstraction, and colour into a vibrant modernist composition. Organised around a distinctive checkerboard motif on the right-hand side of the canvas, the work combines geometric order with fluid, expressive linework, creating a dynamic interplay between control and spontaneity.
Rendered in a sophisticated palette of earthy browns, deep blues, muted reds, and pale greys, the composition is animated by Venard’s energetic linear framework and textured surface. Everyday objects - including vessels, forms, and architectural elements - emerge and dissolve within the composition, encouraging the viewer to move slowly across the canvas and discover its interconnected rhythms. The checkerboard pattern acts as a stabilising visual anchor, balancing the more gestural and organic elements that surround it.
Venard’s tactile handling of paint and layered application lend the work a strong physical presence, while the delicate incised lines create a sense of movement and transparency. In Le Damier, the artist transforms the traditional still life into an exploration of form, balance, and visual complexity. The result is a composition that feels simultaneously intimate and architectural, reflecting the expressive sophistication of post-war French modernism.
"
Circa 1950
Provenance: Private Collection, New York
Claude Venard’s Le Damier is a richly layered still life that demonstrates the artist’s remarkable ability to fuse structure, abstraction, and colour into a vibrant modernist composition. Organised around a distinctive checkerboard motif on the right-hand side of the canvas, the work combines geometric order with fluid, expressive linework, creating a dynamic interplay between control and spontaneity.
Rendered in a sophisticated palette of earthy browns, deep blues, muted reds, and pale greys, the composition is animated by Venard’s energetic linear framework and textured surface. Everyday objects - including vessels, forms, and architectural elements - emerge and dissolve within the composition, encouraging the viewer to move slowly across the canvas and discover its interconnected rhythms. The checkerboard pattern acts as a stabilising visual anchor, balancing the more gestural and organic elements that surround it.
Venard’s tactile handling of paint and layered application lend the work a strong physical presence, while the delicate incised lines create a sense of movement and transparency. In Le Damier, the artist transforms the traditional still life into an exploration of form, balance, and visual complexity. The result is a composition that feels simultaneously intimate and architectural, reflecting the expressive sophistication of post-war French modernism.
