Anne-Sophie Fontenelle

The artist applies an Impressionist approach to her technique and adds a lived dimension. She seems to be searching for an indeterminate meaning in her visual expressions. As if offering new personal perspectives on past thoughts, she completes these experiences—working from her memories. Fontenelle's work is profoundly intimate, sensitive, and resonant. The paintings are reflections that invite contemplation, even introspection. They offer endless possibilities for interpretation. The paintings communicate an openness and, simultaneously, seem to close in on themselves, as if everything has been said. It is then that a deeper exploration becomes necessary, and we discover, ultimately, that the subject of the landscapes (as well as that of the portraits) is the same: we are contemplating the artist's inner self. Through different contexts, we observe the artist's images to grasp the inner perspectives captured in each one. The artist is interested in the fragility and precariousness of the physical world around us: his effort consists of capturing and retaining the fleeting moment of a memory before it disappears. Fontenelle paints this precise moment, aware of its imminent disappearance at the very moment it transforms into visual poetry. The work then presents itself as a contemplative invitation to unveil the perspective in its entirety and to reveal hidden harmonies. From this point on, the paintings acquire a timeless and spatial aura and authenticity: they reveal the artist's talent.

Bart Roefmans, Aporia Gallery, Brussels, December 24, 2017

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Meeting Anne-Sophie Fontenelle is a bit like suddenly going blind. Take the time to get to know her, to listen to her, and very quickly she'll point out a sky, a landscape that fills her with wonder, and you won't know how to respond. You might give a small nod so as not to look foolish, but deep down you won't see anything. The sky that moves her is uniform to you, the landscape that captivates her seems empty and devoid of purpose. You can't help but think: this woman sees things that others don't.

One could attribute it to details, nuances, sensitivity. But that's not enough. It doesn't explain everything. Because this gaze, which finds meaning where everyone else has already looked away, also turns towards the richness of the inner world. This gaze contemplates, but it also questions. It seeks to understand, to convey, or rather, to reconstruct.

Because, of course, Anne-Sophie is a painter. A painter. From head to toe and right down to her fingertips. She is one from the moment she opens her eyes, and the movements of her brush are ultimately the culmination of her vision.

You will then discover her works. Anne-Sophie is her own subject, yet could not be further from Narcissus. She represents herself, but fragments herself, decomposes herself, point by point, element by element. She explores herself, and each painting becomes a step in a discovery whose appearance is merely a pretext. For once again, the gaze questions. Identity, presence, integrity, femininity. Everything is laid bare and simultaneously celebrated.

And above all, there is this additional sensation, which takes hold of you without you understanding why. You don't necessarily know how to name it; you search for it in technical details, in choices of texture or color, but there is much more. A voice, a sensation of movement, of life, of existence itself, present at every moment.

A vibration. That's it. What she paints, seeks, and describes is surrounded by vibrations.

And come to think of it, perhaps that's precisely what you were missing from the sky at the start...

Benoit Geers - author - June 2017