VIRTUAL EXHIBITION
GRATALOUP
I dreamed the Mountain
GRATALOUP and drawing
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Landscaped Miniatures — The Spirit of the Mountain
In the summer of 2017, GRATALOUP ventured into new artistic territory with a series of small-format paintings (20 x 20 cm), which he called Landscaped Miniatures.
These works are true artistic experiments, blending Chinese ink, watercolor, acrylic, and gold leaf. Through an innovative pictorial approach, they combine transparency and bursts of light to create a unique visual language.
This selection of eight paintings invites viewers on a journey through ever-shifting landscapes, raging torrents, dizzying crevices, hidden gardens, and shimmering reflections in sunlit pools.
Each miniature unveils a poetic vision of nature, where the mountain emerges as both a guardian and an enigma, always alive with a vibrant presence.
Deeply rooted in GRATALOUP’s artistic universe, these compositions are both distinctive and emblematic of his singular pictorial style, offering a sensitive and evocative perspective on the world.
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The Mountain, a Central Theme in GRATALOUP’s Work
Born in Nantua and surrounded from childhood by towering landscapes, GRATALOUP (1935–2022) made the mountain a recurring theme in his work. His paintings capture the mystical, timeless essence of these peaks, balancing between stability and vertigo, protection and challenge, contemplation and self-transcendence.
Designed as an inner journey, this virtual exhibition presents a selection of works where the mountain becomes more than just a landscape—it transforms into a mirror of the soul, a symbol of elevation and transformation.
Through this online exhibition, step into a world where each painting invites introspection and contemplation. Let yourself be guided by the mountain’s energy—at times imposing, at times embracing—and discover how GRATALOUP, through his colors and technique, translated a profound quest for meaning, transcendence, and infinity.
Since I was very young, I've dreamed of the mountain. I've played in its light and hidden in its shadows. I've tasted the herbs along its paths. I've inhaled the scents of stones and rocks. I've listened to the stories the wind tells in the peaks, and I've touched the sky at the top of the world. I got a bit lost in its infinite greatness. Then one day, I took up my colors and dared to paint its splendor.
Watch the sound & light show
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1980 - 1994 L'ŒIL DU PEINTRE I
Technique mixte sur toile
97 x 130 cm
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C’est une toile ancienne des années 70. Je l’ai appelée l’œil du peintre. On y voit les montagnes en arrière-fond. Leur paysage est monochrome. La petite silhouette du peintre est sur le bord du tableau, presque hors du paysage. Il est dans le noir c’est-à-dire le mystère, là où toutes les couleurs se forment. Et il est aussi hors de son œil. Son œil regarde les montagnes et des rayons rouges éclairent les ténèbres. Son œil est semblable à une bulle polychromatique qui donne des couleurs à la vie. Car en réalité tout est gris. Seule la lumière et celui qui la regarde sait de quoi sont faites les montagnes et les expériences de la vie.