Introducing Nicolas Canu

“It isn’t the destination that matters, it’s the voyage” is how one could summarize Nicolas’ artworks. And beyond the voyage, it is the evasion of the mind, thoughts that Nicolas Canu’s paintings trigger, like a thought process.

These landscapes are not destinations, figuratively, they are a voyage. An inspiration, an escape from your thoughts and your emotions. They are not the legs of a journey but rather gateways to your our own evasion. An opening, an invitation, the beginning to your getaway.

Imagine you’re a passenger in a car, a bus or a train…inevitably, your thoughts start to wander, all the while keeping a subconscious eye on the landscape unrolling before you. When suddenly, unavoidably, an element, a perspective, a structure will fleetingly catch your eye then disappear as quickly as it had appeared. You then go back to your thoughts, keeping that image somewhere in the back of your mind, which you will perhaps see again in your dreams. Do you see what I mean ? Well, it is those images from journeys, both physical and spiritual, which Nicolas Canu reinacts in his paintings. That blurriness, the sfumato, those soft colors blending together, the smears: his landscapes exist only in our minds and in our emotions. And to see them, the way Nicolas wants us to, is to travel once more, into the depths of our soul.

It comes as no surprise to learn that he prefers wood as medium, a material which is omnipresent in his paintings. In addition to loving its resistance to the paintbrushes, he appreciates its naturality. He prepares the wood by coating it with a layer of paint, to give it thickness, an embossed effect, a certain touch, even depth, before revealing the landscape that will come about. His inspirations are taken from sceneries observed during his travels, but every so often from photographs.

Today, these sceneries are primarily natural, rural landscapes. Although this hasn’t always been the case, they have always contained at least one architectural element built by man. In his youth, Nicolas grew up in a resolutely urban environment, and made it his first subject matter. Then, as he progressed artistically, he began to take a step backwards (both literally and figuratively), leaving beauty up to nature, where architecture and urbanism become anecdotal. The structures have taken a backseat in his paintings, or have disappeared altogether, leaving room for electrical towers or billboards, hence catching our attention and leading us to our thoughts.

Therein lies the reason for which Nicolas’ artworks move us intimately. This journey can only happen alone, a voyage into one’s thoughts while contemplating his paintings. A smooth, benevolent and serene journey, as portrayed in Nicolas’ paintings.

So…sit down, get comfortable…and enjoy the ride !