Strates solaires 1958

Fernand Leduc created "Strates solaires" with paint on canvas. At first glance, the painting may appear to be just a series of flat shapes. Yet it's important to remember the work that goes into achieving this sense of effortless geometry. Leduc has applied different colors to separate areas. This requires careful masking and multiple layers to achieve that precise, clean finish. The texture of the paint itself is smooth, almost industrially so, adding to the sense of a manufactured image. But the hand is still present; the artist had to mix, and apply those colors, one careful stroke at a time. Although apparently abstract, the painting engages with the built environment, reflecting the manufactured world around us. We should appreciate the labor of abstraction that the artist has undertaken, reminding us to look closely at the material means of even the most apparently dematerialized works of art.