Abstract Landscape Painting by Cécile Ganne, “Mountain Wave”.

Through her abstract landscape painting, Cécile Ganne lends substance and form to the layers of memory that deposit in our minds, just as sediment shapes geological landforms. Her landscapes, whether imagined or re-imagined, invite us to dig deep into our well of memories, whether searching for our roots, seeking to belong, or transmitting our respect to future generations.

She often paints during the dreamlike, “in-between” moments of the day: moments of waiting. Her ephemeral landscapes straddle the line of genre, incorporating and blending various influences, including poetic realism, expressionism, and abstraction. They usher the viewer into the intensity and imminence of the present moment, outside of time and space: the “eternal present”, encompassing the moment of artistic creation while honoring the fleetingness of nature and life. Heavily inspired by Southern France, these vistas are enigmas to be solved and games to delight the mind: an invitation to join her in this quest for serenity that can exist alongside sensuous intensity.

Cécile is fascinated by geology and the idea that the earth, although it does not seem to move, shifts before our eyes. A palette knife brings forth the slightest suggestion of the raw richness of the rocks. Layers upon layers of paint fold over each other to build this piece, just like the many layers of rocks and minerals come together to build the mountain. The wave seems to ebb and flow, impressing that neither rock nor memory is free from change.