Telephone 2012

Jerome Mesnager’s 'Telephone' is painted with broad white strokes on a weathered wooden door. The image feels immediate, like it was made in one shot, capturing the spontaneity of an idea. The paint is thick, almost sculptural in places. You can see the texture of the wood grain coming through the white pigment, a reminder of the surface beneath the image. The body in the painting is an intriguing collection of simplified forms. Its bulbous head and torso are quickly defined, while the arms seem to reach out, connecting to the world beyond the painted surface. Look at the telephone cord in the figure's hand. It extends outward, becoming a real, three-dimensional element. It’s almost as if the painting is trying to break free from its own boundaries. Mesnager's work reminds me of Keith Haring's subway drawings. Both artists embrace a kind of raw, public expression, turning everyday spaces into canvases for their ideas. It suggests that art is not just about perfect representation, but about the messy, imperfect, and very human act of making something.