In the thickness of the paint, between the visible surface and the support, the earth is made in the same way. Its memory is found in its layers. When Tsuki Garbian questions matter, he brings to light what was there in the first moments.
Pentimento 3 - 140 x 134 cm, charcoal on paper. (2016-17)
These faces belong to those who participated in the making of the work in ancient times. All painters work this way. They lay down the sketch, reconsider, and then cover it up. Later, we will know they were part of this moment in history and emotion. This moment, retained in the painted material, is called a "pentimento," which in Italian means "repentance." It's as if the painter must forget this passage to move forward towards another reality, the "finished" expression. Rembrandt worked this way, as did Caravaggio and other Baroque artists. Only the "copyists" do not resort to "repentance." There is no doubt about duplication; it only pursues the finality.
For several years, the Israeli painter has been creating a series titled "Pentimenti," exploring the original gesture that lays the foundations. He was inspired by the "Triumph of David," in the painting above. painted by Pietro de Cortona (Pietro Berrettini) in the 17th century. To do this, Garbian uses drawing in its most fragile, volatile form, charcoal, which has the nature of ash. "Charcoal is a material that contains death. The willow charcoal sticks I use are washed on the white cotton paper and turned into a tiny black powder that could be wiped off and suddenly disappear," he said. This extreme fragility of the material and the moment reflects an inability to make a lasting impression.
Ash of wood or idea, phantom figuration, springing from the depths of time: this work reflects on this fragile temporality. Yet, however distant it may be, buried deep within itself, the truth always returns to clarity. It is not just an x-ray of the work or the work of a scanner, but a desire to understand this journey, which belongs as much to the painter as to the man.
There is therefore a revealing function in "Pentimento 3." Sometimes, the painter rejects an idea, or, conversely, the world imposes another on him. The 16th and 17th centuries were highly political periods, and works were often commissioned. In this fight of David, what did De Cortona originally mean? What traits would he have given him at the moment of victory? Tsuki Garbian explores the aspect that truth takes depending on our perspective and on what moment of the painting we stand. Unless this painting of ashes and light already belongs to an ancient moment, likely to be covered up. The work is a living body, and the painter embodies "repentance" in the material of the canvas.
“Charcoal is a material that contains death. The willow charcoal sticks that I use are washed on white cotton paper and turned into a tiny black powder that could be wiped off and suddenly disappear. » Tsuki Garbian
Roger Calmé (ZO mag')
translated from french by artstories.
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