Abstract or figurative? The question in terms of painting, having been asked so often, can seem sterile. As the boundaries of one another and are so fluid. Gérard Traquandi does not avoid the issue, his work shows that he confronts it.

Gérard TRAQUANDI : We need to realize what we have already perceived by our senses. As if nature, in the broadest sense, what surrounds us is not sufficient. Paintings qualify life, and when they reach a certain quality, they in turn produce the feeling of frustration that drives us. I continue to do what painters have always done which is transferring perceptions on a canvas with colours. All of this in a historical context.

Gérard TRAQUANDI : I do not believe that I suggest, I choose axes, I leave to photography its ability to present, or to cinema its narrative ability. I operate by subtraction. When the painter Helmut Federle said "the quality of the painting lies in what is not" I applaud.

Gérard TRAQUANDI : Frank Stella’s "You see what you see," is an extreme point in the attempt to touch a veritable abstraction. An attempt to emancipate the art of nature. I am very impressed by the stripe paintings of this artist, however for my part; I always feel the need to return to the landscape when a series leads to an overly mechanical work, to make a fresh start. My painting is not abstract ... Let’s just say that it is not figurative.

Gérard TRAQUANDI: Instead of colour I would say "coloured matter," the nuance is important. I say "colour" because it is in accordance that they take all their richness. The relevance of a painting is largely due to the quality of its surface. I am more and more attached to this dimension to my work. Over time, I have realized that it is in praising the materials I use, that I could reach the praise of nature that I covet.

Gérard TRAQUANDI : Drawing is the backbone of my work. First is the most efficient technique I know, and economy of means is a virtue in art to my eyes. I know of no better way to attend closely the topics that motivate me. Drawing is a form of meditation, it requires concentration, to make choices and, finally, helps with self-forgetfulness.

Gérard TRAQUANDI: The light is about spirituality, not meteorology.

Gérard TRAQUANDI : The large format has manyadvantages but it is essentially the desire to join architecture motivates me.Degas said "Only frescoes are worth it" I share this point of view.The architectural program of Assisi was therefore designed in consequence to the iconography program. Theunison between architecture and painting which can be seen in the lower chapelof Assisi with frescoes by Cimabue, remain for me, one of the highest moments ofWestern art. One can always dream of a society that carries such ambitiousprojects. To me, the future of painting will play itself within that space. Thequestion of where the paintings are going is to me as interesting as knowingwhat they are made of. The problem of context is crucial Gérard Traquandi was born in 1952 in Marseille. He lives and works in Marseille and Paris. He works with various media: painting, photography, and drawing. A graduate of l’École des Beaux-Arts de Marseille and visiting professor at the ENSBA in Paris in 2002-2003. Until 1995, he was teaching at l'École supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Marseille, at l'École d'architecture de Marseille and at l'École d'art de Nîmes. In recent years he has exhibited at the Musée Cantini in Marseille, at the Berlin French Institute in Berlin, at the Artothèque Pierre Tal-Coat, Hennebont; the Musée des beaux Arts, Valenciennes and the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris ... His work is presented in the collections of the Musée Cantini, Marseille, Musée de Gap, Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain, Nice ; Musée de Toulon ; Musée de Morlaix ; Musée des beaux-Arts de Nantes ;FNAC Paris...