The known and little-known history of French abstractionism

In New York, exhibitions of French abstraction are growing in popularity. However, many artists who were known here in the distant past have become relevant again: in 2021 Perrotin exhibited Georges Mathieu, and in the last five years it has twice ceded the entire space to Hans Hartung. For the past two years, Levy Gorvy (now Levy Gorvy Dayan) has also represented Pierre Soule, and Ceysson & Bénétière has each year given its Madison Avenue gallery to one of the artists from the historic Supports/Surfaces group who were prominent in France in the post-Souvac years. They include Patrick Saytour, Louis Caen, Bernard Paget and last September Noël Doll - the latest good example of this group's playful dismantling of painting and use of unconventional materials,''such as his tarlatan layer.

Soul's early paintings, which were included in a recent exhibition at Levi Gorvy Dayan Gallery titled "From Midnight to Dusk," evoke the archaic shadows of ruined postwar Europe, obscuring the light with violently processed dark forms. The artist said the black symbolizes the darkness of the caves where the first paintings in history were created. He worked until 101, gradually and dramatically zooming in, investing stripes, indentations and textures in thick black layers of paint.

Sula, a regular contributor to the post-war style known as "lichrik abstract," freely improvises''Painting, named by French art critic Jean-José Marchand, had certain qualities characteristic of the Swiss Gerard Schneider, whose work is now on the first floor of Perrotin as part of the solo exhibition Rhapsody in Blue. A press release describes his paintings as "raw and vibrant, physical and unrestricted," but they are thoroughly extravagant and more elegant than raw - an example of how, unlike Americans, contemporary European artists tended to stay within the confines of form and feel comfortable with esque painting. Schneider's colors are bright yellows, greens, and blacks on blue backgrounds. His determined brush strokes are subtle in the background and more massive when he finishes them. His compositions begin and