(dis)connected Painting

Review from "People that look at a work of art will often search for the ‘tension’ in it. A fusion of contradictory concepts, references to antagonistic principles or the use of incompatible colours. Sometimes the tension arises from an absence, an emptiness that triggers a specific, perhaps yet unfelt emotion. That trigger will differ for each one of us, but most art lovers will actively seek for this rejoicing emotion through art. But what happens if this tension originates not within the work, but in the world around it? In the ‘real world’, in as far as such a thing exists. What happens to the art that emerges from it? The work of Ludovic Laffineur might offer some clues to answer this question. Tied between a demanding professional life, the care of a young household and a tremendous artistic urge, his life, you can say, is submerged in tension. But there’s more to it, as the nature of his professional life often puts him in direct conflict with his inner convictions and beliefs. Picture him returning to his home after yet another fruitless series of discussions at the United Nations, yet another often useless conference or negotiation, yet another compromise he had to swallow, another agreement he wishes he never would have made, retiring to his attic at night when his family is asleep, and project his contained feelings of emptiness and frustration on the canvas. This may be something of an overstatement, of course, but merely a moderate one. In the real life Ludovic works for a ship owners’ association, where he deals with matters related to sustainability and environment. His ideas about this subject are rather idealistic, but pragmatic. Nevertheless, his thinking about these issues, and the conflict it generates with his daily realizations, are transparent in his work, sometimes directly (‘Oilspill’, ‘black carbon’), sometimes indirectly (‘The idealist’, ‘Adrift’, ‘Diversity’). Hence the sense of urgency emerging from his work, even when he is not expressing concerns about the environment, such as in his more personal works (‘Determined’, ‘Abstinence’). But even then, joy and merriment often seem far-off. This does not mean that his artistic expressions are awash with melancholia or feelings of resentment. Although the atmosphere is often menacing, the mental landscapes desolate, the action violent, his honesty brings great charm to his work.