Manouk 2017

Cricorps painted 'Manouk', which is about 58 by 38 centimeters, with oil paint at some point, the date is unknown. I love how the mosaic-like structure, with its orange, red and blue segments creates a push-pull effect across the surface. It is as if the artist began with the concept of a cat and then allowed the process of painting to pull the image apart and reassemble it. Looking closely, you can see how each small block of color has been applied with a loaded brush, creating a texture that’s both rough and deliberate. This isn't just a picture of a cat; it's a record of the gestures and decisions that went into making it. The way the cat's eyes are rendered with those stark white circles is especially interesting. It makes you think about what the artist sees, and how they choose to represent it. The chunky application of paint and the overall composition remind me of some of Milton Avery’s more abstracted animal paintings, but with an added layer of textural intensity. Like Avery, Cricorps invites us to appreciate the beauty of simplicity and the power of suggestion in art. It’s a reminder that sometimes, what's left unsaid is just as important as what’s explicitly shown.