Pierre Soulages

Origins

Pierre Soulages is a French artist known for his abstract, black and monochromatic paintings. His style, developed in the late 1940s, is characterized by the use of thick layers of black paint on canvas, which he often scratches and scrapes to create varying textures and depths. This technique, called 'outrenoir' (beyond black), results in artworks that reflect and absorb light, creating a sense of luminosity and mystery. Soulages' works gained international fame in the 1950s, and he is considered one of the most prominent figures in contemporary art.