Yves BOUFFIGNY

Criticism

Based in Upper Normandy, Yves Bouffigny clearly follows in the tradition of the Rouen School, which played such a crucial role in the development of the Impressionist movement, and whose pictorial possibilities he continues to explore with great talent and originality. This multi-award winning artist has been exhibiting his works for over 30 years in Normandy, the birthplace of Impressionism, but has also taken part in national and international shows. Following the example of those pioneers of modern painting who sought a new way of representing the world, Yves Bouffigny creates remarkable landscapes of subtle nuances and evanescent atmospheres. Like his predecessors, he paints on site, favouring the immediacy of the vision before him and capturing the most fleeting of lighting effects. While his landscapes, which range from the Berry countryside to shores of the sea and the river Seine, and even his urban scenes, depict nature in all its beauty and simplicity, the artist also offers us a free and very personal interpretation of them. There is a magic in his skies worthy of John Constable, and the atmospheric variations of his paintings seem to echo the ground-breaking work of William Turner, who influenced the impressionist group enormously. While a feeling of melancholy might prevail at times, it is an unequivocal reminder of the fragile nature of the world. In Yves Bouffigny’s work, human figures are very often present; mere suggestions but always in motion, they are as though captured in an instant with great lightness and spontaneity. Through the frontality of his compositions, the painter draws the eye into the very heart of each painting, inviting us to follow his byways to reach the far depths of the universe portrayed. The emphasis is put on the fluid elements of nature, such as reflections in water, morning mists, rain or storm effects, and light at sunset. These are rendered much more by the colour blends and pattern of thickly textured brushstrokes, which are subtly placed to soften outlines, than by the barely visible underlying drawing. Magnificent blues and grisaille effects often dominate, embellishing works that are highlighted in shades of pink, purple or yellow. In original work that points to his extensive research, Yves Bouffigny invites us to contemplate a poetic world in which he expresses his own emotions.

Francine BUNEL-MALRAS, Historian of Art

Exhibitions

Du 09/03/2024 au 24/03/2024 : ROUEN : 84e SALON DES ARTISTES INDEPENDANTS NORMANDS A LA HALLE AUX TOILES

Du 22/10/2022 au 06/11/2022 : YVETOT : 45e SALON DE L'AYAC A L'ESPACE LES VIKINGS

Du 04/06/2016 au 05/06/2016 : MONTFORT-SUR-RISLE : EXPOSITION COLLECTIVE "MONTFORT A LA LUMIERE DES IMPRESSIONNISTES" AU CHATEAU LA MOTTE

Du 24/11/2012 au 01/12/2012 : ISNEAUVILLE : EXPOSITION VINCENT DUFOUR ET STEPHANE PIEDALLU AU CENTRE SPORTIF DU CHEVAL ROUGE

Du 15/09/2012 au 16/09/2012 : YVETOT : EXPOSITION "ARTISTES PLASTICIENS DE SEINE-MARITIME EN BALADES GENEALOGIQUES" A LA CAFETERIA DES VIKINGS