Petit vert à la tache rose 1976

Olivier Debre made Petit vert à la tache rose, probably with oils, and it’s all about the process. Look at those vertical strokes of vibrant green. It’s like he’s letting the paint just do its thing, guided by his hand, of course. The physicality of this painting is really present. The green is thick and alive, and you can see the tracks of the brush, each one a slightly different shade. Then, bam! There's this little pink spot at the bottom. It’s so small compared to all that green, but it draws your eye like crazy. It’s a tiny disruption, a moment of color play. Debre is doing something similar to what Joan Mitchell was doing, pushing abstraction to evoke a feeling. With both of them it’s about the freedom to explore, to make a painting that's less about a fixed image and more about the experience of seeing.