Sabine Danze : Mouth, Gaze and Master of arms

Mysterious, sometimes off-beat, even unconventional with several of her artworks/series overstepping the boundaries of political correctness. However, Sabine Danze is of those artists for whom painting is to love, a synonym of Love, a sacred gift for which each stroke of paint strips her bare, a risk-taking, both personal and intimate.

 

One must enter her universe and gain her trust in order for her to reveal her secrets, at least the secrets within her artworks, their true meaning. Better yet, watch her at work…especially when she paints her grand portraits ; their aura is so strong, they can be disturbing. Her relationship with her paintings is so powerful because, to create them, she reaches within her being and her soul.

 

In our opinion, Sabine’s « up close » portraits, either from the ANIMAAGELI, THE DANCER, KING OF BABY DOLLS or ARMAND ET LES AUTRES series are the high points of her painting, in which the strength and essence of Sabine’s Art truly express themselves. One cannot remain insensitive when faced with the majesty and mystery they exhale. Always grand formats, always centered nearest to the subject matter, always with subtle color shades and light and shadow contrasts, or an almost photographic quality for the black and white artworks. You cannot overlook the similar technic used by the masters in painting, or portraits; Caravaggio’s palette. You’ll also notice that they are all practically male portraits, except for a rare few…but all having the same common denominator, one word, in its crucial and acute meaning for Sabine Danze : « Princely »

 

To « understand » them and taste their substantive emotional marrow, we relinquish to you, with Sabine’s consent, 3 keys…the passionate encounter, the stake between the Mouth and the Gaze…the « feat in battle »

 

 

The passionate encounter : yes, the portraits are those of people Sabine knows. She doesn’t choose them, they impose themselves during a passionate encounter; both the encounter and the person generate in Sabine the irrepressible, insatiable need to paint them…like a haunting, an alienating addiction of Love for their auras, from which she will be released only after having painted the emotions their souls will have bred in her. To not be able to paint them, to have to “put on hold” a portrait she started is extremely frustrating for Sabine, even if it means painting day and night until exhaustion.

 

What will distinguish one person from another, for whom she will feel the compelling need to paint? It definitely isn’t about aesthetic beauty or a personal connection to the model. According to her, it is their “princely” beauty, a sovereignty of beautiful minds and souls which their faces, their traits and their eyes transpire. Princes because of their strong temperament yet sensitive heart, and an always elegant soul. Princely and Elegant…

 

The stake between the Mouth and the Gaze : the word “stake” is weak…a dire need, almost a compulsion. The Mouth and the Gaze… we’d dare say the execution of a portrait for Sabine is “easy” for she masters the technic. But to give it all the emotional quintessence and to reflect the princely beauty Sabine wishes to express requires many long hours of hard work. And she does so, with particular attention, a specific requisite, in carrying out the mouth and the gaze. For the artist, they are the gateway to the Prince’s soul, the elements that distinguish him. Even more so for the Mouth, which is throughout her artworks, Sabine’s trademark. I have watched Sabine paint for hours, days, struggling with her painting, in order to achieve the desired expression and emotion…precise, powerful, sublime, almost mystical. Their shadowing, the color, the craftsmanship, the lip contouring of her Princes, details that had an art collector wait several weeks for the painting he bought, after having had the chance to discover it and watch it dawn in her workshop, because Sabine wasn’t yet satisfied with the outcome…

 

The « feat in battle » : to understand this, you must see Sabine paint with that sultry intensity and force…For Sabine, to paint, and I quote “it is like a fencing battle where each gesture, each move is vital and must be perfectly mastered, and where any mistake can be fatal”. She paints mainly with her fingers, a lead pencil, and more rarely with a paintbrush or rag for her oil paintings; she “attacks” the canvas which can be seen vibrating and heard reacting. And the comparison goes also with Sabine’s gesturing: arm extended, hand pointed towards the canvas, the other hand behind her back, wrist angulated…such as a fencing master; her eyes riveted on the canvas, piercing it, and her muscles bulging.

 

This is akin to a choreography for music, the “Right Sound”, is indissociable and indispensable when Sabine paints. Whenever she paints, she needs to “gorge on Sound”, as she puts it. Speakers, volume on high, or with headphones, listening to a track mix she chooses carefully before painting, punctuating her gestures, magnifying the intensity of the emotion she wishes to project, until she reaches absolute physical exhaustion that comes with such a grueling exercise.

 

Here lies part of the secret, a few keys to deciphering Sabine’s paintings and her intensity…Intensity…Princely and Elegant. You’ll have caught on, Art Traffik is a huge fan !

 

Discover our selection of artworks in our gallery in Anglet and on our website !