La vie en rose

- 30/09/2021

les oeuvres roses par les artistes de carré d'artistes

The cold season is on the way, and we are almost in winter. To avoid any sort of depression and maintain some joy, we have selected artists for you, who play with the color pink in their paintings. Gaze at these without moderation!

What is pink, exactly?

Pink is a very peculiar color which we instinctively associate with specific images, symbols, or objects. Flowers, roses, seem to come to mind. Actually, the name derives from the latter. We can also think of certain animals, such as the pig, or characters from popular culture, such as the famous Pink Panther., Pink is a gendered color, which has been attributed to girls since the 20th century (especially after World War II), and it seems to lead to protests today. But pink hasn’t always meant the same thing in history, pink’s symbolism has evolved over the centuries.

To create a pink painting, it is important to mix red and white. The more red you add, the warmer and brighter the pink shall be (like fuchsia or magenta, for example). The more white you add, the softer and pearlier the pink shall be (like pale pink or salmon pink).

Our selection of paintings so that going back to work seems rosy!

To celebrate the beauty and the infinite possibilities that pink has to offer us through paintings, we have chosen to depict an exclusive selection of pink paintings created by several contemporary artists. "La vie en rose" or “Life through rose tinted glasses” brings together pink works by artists such as François-Régis Lemonnier, Thierry Boitier, Dupetitpré Roselyne, Bergeron Marie-Josée, Nathalie Dumontier, Sablyne, Graffmatt, Ann R, Schroeder Virginie, Misako, Haelyn Y, Paxal and many more!

Each artist proves to us that pink is a multivocal color, with many meanings and succeeds in creating totally different atmospheres. A pink painting is joyful, romantic, tender and evokes seduction or youth. But a pink painting can also be sad, melancholic, and reminiscent of meditation. Most of the paintings gathered in this collection are harmonious, soothing and inspire us through a refreshing energy and a joy to share.

5 artists who explore the possibilities of paintings in pink

Many artists explore the possibilities and variations of pink in painting. Among the artists who enrich the "La vie en rose" collection, we find, amongst others:
•   Haelyn Y: originally from South Korea, Haelyn Y creates incredible feminine portraits through harmony and subtlety, where pink is often present.
•   Nathalie Dumontier: she creates very expressive abstract paintings, often interspersed with discreet touches of pink.
•   Paxal: by creating pink paintings, Paxal proves that this color is not reserved for female artists, and it still remains the symbol of Pop art!
•   Thierry Boitier: the sets created by the artist are amazing, paintings with metal, fabric, and other materials. His pink painting is rather touching and sensitive.
•   François-Régis Lemonnier: some of the artist's works are painted on a pink background, to take us closer to the invisible world but also to our inner reality. It's sweet, yet powerful!

And this is only a small sample of the various contemporary artists in our selection, of course! Do not hesitate to discover the other painters and take the time to gaze at their works.

Haelyn Y États-Unis d’Amérique

What is pink’s position in the history of art?

Pink is not the most common color in art history. However, it has a significant importance and a very intense meaning. We may not find it often in nature, but in terms of art, pink mostly seems to appear in Renaissance paintings.
It is used to represent complexion, the characteristic color of human skin and flesh. During the Baroque period, pink was increasingly introduced in the paintings. Pastel shades were trendy those days. We think of Madame de Pompadour, who particularly appreciated this color, or Fragonard's paintings during the 18th century. Later on, the impressionists resumed the light pink hue and introduced it into their works, to trigger gentleness and tranquility. The Japonism movement sped up this tendency. The history of pink during the twentieth-century art is more momentous. Pop art plays with the flashy shades of this color. As a general rule, pink is brighter, more vibrant and rather tinted. After World War II, it was associated with girls and femininity, which is now questioned. The aesthetics of digital divert the old codes of pink and turn into a source of inspiration for contemporary art.

Are there famous pink paintings?

Fortunately, there are famous pink artworks! For example, during his pink period, Picasso created many more or less rosy paintings. His work "Acrobat and young harlequin" reveals the expressive power of pink when it is affixed to blue. Through the same lines, Gauguin produced a famous pink artwork: "Riders on the beach" or "Tahitian women on the beach" dating back to 1891. Among the famous pink impressionist works, one can think of "The Springtime original” by Claude Monet, produced in 1872.
Edgar Degas painted a pink painting, called" Dancers in pink ", in 1867. During the next century, Henri Matisse took part in the development of using pink in paintings. 20th century painting, just like in his painting "The Pink Studio" from 1911. A leader in Pop art, Andy Warhol used pink a lot in his serigraphs, mainly in his portraits of Marilyn Monroe. The pink artwork "Monopink" by Yves Klein, less known than his blue works, questions the viewer. Last but not least, Jacques Vimard is a contemporary artist who produced many paintings in pink and blue.

Do you wish to discover pink artworks and explore the possibilities of this amazing color? We encourage you to browse through the paintings of our "La vie en rose" selection and make the most of refreshing softness and lightness!