About the work
Interview on Art, Mathematics and the Hidden Aesthetics of the World:
- Your work is inspired by fractals and natural symmetries; we can see a deep connection with mathematics. What role do they play in your artistic approach?
- Geometry is omnipresent in my work, but in an aesthetically natural, intuitive way. What fascinates me, as I also told you, is that a drop of water at a certain temperature, zero, transforms into a perfect geometric structure. Snowflakes are a perfect example of what I call underground mathematics: a hidden language that governs the world and that we perceive without necessarily being aware of it.
- Can you give us concrete examples of this mathematical presence in your works?
- Let's take the Fibonacci sequence and the Golden Ratio. These proportions are everywhere in nature: the arrangement of a flower's petals, the spiral of a shell, the structure of galaxies... When I compose a fractal work, these patterns reappear almost naturally. It's not a conscious calculation, but a resonance with a universal order.
My works also reflect the principle of the Squaring of the Circle, an ancient mathematical and philosophical problem. Jung himself saw this form as a representation of psychological balance. My compositions often play on this tension between the square and the circle.
- This play on symmetry and repetition could have an overly mechanical or monotonous effect, but it's not. And as I pointed out, it speaks to a wide audience and the first words that come to mind are that it's simply... "Beautiful"!
- Yes, just as I like to confront my paintings with nature to see if it has the "weight", it reassures me about the value of my work that it pleases the greatest number. For the record, when I started to have them printed, my little nephew and niece were present at the reception and I remember the enthusiasm they had: "- How beautiful it is, uncle!" they exclaimed at each painting.
- I would say... curiously beautiful! Why? You told me that it had raised questions for you and that you had partly found the answer in Jung.
- Yes, I didn't say to myself: "You are the greatest genius at the beginning of this century!" (Smile) but why did this organization around the center and these repetitions have such an effect? It's that there is an obviousness in these compositions, a balance that speaks directly to our sensitivity.
- You mentioned the concept of psychological quaternity. Could you tell me a little more about it...
- Yes, Jung developed the idea that there were four functions of consciousness: Thinking , which analyzes and organizes. Sensing , which captures the concrete. Feeling , which judges and evaluates, and Intuition, which perceives global patterns.
- But still...
- Now, my fractal works address precisely these four dimensions: They relate to Thought , through their rigorous geometric construction. They touch Sensation , through their hypnotic effect on the gaze. They evoke Feeling , through their colorful harmony. And they stimulate Intuition , because they recall the hidden order of nature.
- In this sense, your paintings are not just aesthetic objects. Most of them exude depth and energy because they are in direct contact with the unconscious.
- Absolutely. At the same time, I also like the decorative side that emerges from it. For me, it's not pejorative, just as I prefer the artisan side over the artist, given the times we live in.
- I would like us to also address the projective side that we certain...
- Yes, that's what I call their "Rorschach side"!
- Yes, let's remember that this psychological test was created from ink stains obtained by folding a sheet of paper in half. This gives a bizarre result, revealing shapes where the imagination can project itself.
- Yes, it should be noted that in my paintings the Swiss psychoanalyst played on axial symmetry, whereas I work on radial symmetry.
- But the "figures" that we see appearing also come from axial symmetry!
- Yes, very well seen! Well, what's funny is that everyone often sees things differently.
- Hence their projective side...
- Very true!
- This mathematical influence is also felt in your work on architecture, notably your paintings inspired by Burgundian heritage.
- Absolutely. Gothic architecture, for example, is based on precise geometry. Cathedrals are not just assembled stone; they are structures organized around mathematical proportions and harmonious symmetries. By reinterpreting these elements in my digital works, I try to make visible this hidden intelligence that spans the centuries.
- Your works could almost be seen as an artistic visualization of chaos theory. Well, some of them...
- Exactly! Chaos theory shows that behind apparent complexity, there are recurring patterns, organized structures. This is what I try to explore in my creations. My fractals are not just beautiful shapes: they are the echo of a universal order that surpasses us, but connects us all.
- Ultimately, your creations are an invitation to see art differently...
- Yes... and to understand that beauty is not just a question of subjectivity, of sentimentality. There are forms and proportions that speak directly to our unconscious, because they are inscribed in the very structure of life. As Jung said: “In every man lie eternal forms which, if awakened, come to life and manifest themselves in art, dreams and visions.” This is exactly what I seek to do with my works: to awaken these hidden forms and invite everyone to a deeper contemplation of the world around them.
- Your work explores symmetry, fractals, and the relationship between art and nature. Your approach evokes both Carl Gustav Jung and René Huyghe. What do you take away from their reflections?
- Both have deeply nourished my artistic vision. Jung, of course, with his notion of the collective unconscious and quaternity, which connects with my fascination with symmetrical and centered structures. But René Huyghe was just as essential. In Dialogue with the Visible , he explains how art is not only a human creation, but a revelation of the fundamental structures of the world. He shows that man only amplifies what nature already puts in place: forms organized according to recurring principles, which obey a logic that is both biological and mathematical.
- So there is a natural order that art only reveals?
- Exactly. Take fractals: they exist everywhere, in ice crystals, galaxies, corals… Nature doesn't produce its forms randomly. It follows precise laws, which are found in biology as well as in architecture and painting. Huyghe spoke of a “universal language of the visible” that the artist must know how to capture. That's what I try to do: reveal this underlying harmony through my works.
- Huyghe also emphasized the psychological impact of shapes and colors. Do you think your works resonate with the viewer on this level?
- Yes, and this is where my work also connects with Jung. Certain forms, certain geometric structures touch us immediately, because they are anchored in us, almost instinctively. Symmetry, the balance between movement and stability, the repetition of patterns… all of this creates an emotional response. Huyghe explained that art is a mediation between reality and our perception. It allows us to feel the order of the world, not through reason alone, but through aesthetic experience.
- To summarize and by way of conclusion: Your art is therefore situated on the border between science, nature and intuition...
- Absolutely. It's not simply an aesthetic quest, but an attempt to connect different fields of knowledge. The subterranean mathematics that structure my works are not there by chance: they reflect a profound reality. As René Huyghe said:
“Art is a way of capturing the invisible forces that structure the visible.”
This sums up the quest that drives me: to explore these forces, make them visible and invite the viewer to experience them through aesthetic contemplation.
Interview conducted by Jean Leclair in March 2024