Cédric Nové-Josserand's Gestural Painting Process

Cédric Nové-Josserand, a French painter based in Lyon, creates large-scale canvases (180 x 180 cm) by stretching raw linen onto self-built frames and pouring paint with precise distribution, leaving gaps between color layers. He then lifts the frame overhead, manipulating it to guide the paint's movement blindly, generating vivid, free-flowing images through a wrestle-like physical engagement. His work questions the primacy of gesture in painting, aiming to evoke life without directly touching the canvas. Nové-Josserand studied at the École Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg and had his first exhibition in 1993 at the Musée d'Art Contemporain in Strasbourg alongside Patrick Neu. He later participated in the group show Préfiguration at the Centre d'Art Contemporain – Halle des Bouchers in Vienne, France (2014). This article was published in the January & February 2016 issue of ArtReview, selected by Sarkis.