Christian Sorg's Return to Paris After 15 Years

After a 15-year absence, Christian Sorg exhibited new large-format works at Espace Jacqueline Boissier in Paris from October 14 to 31, 2010. The show was part of the gallery's Rencontres d'automne series, curated by Jacqueline Boissier, former director of Galerie Regards. Sorg, once associated with the Support-Surface movement in the 1970s, now works between his studio in Burgundy near Vézelay and another in Calaceite, Spain. The exhibited series, later shown at Galerie du Grand T in Nantes, was inspired by the arid landscapes of Aragon, where Sorg spends summers. The works capture the rugged terrain of the Maestrazgo mountain range and the surrounding area, which has historical ties to Goya, sculptor Pablo Gargallo, and filmmaker Luis Buñuel. Sorg's semi-abstract, semi-figurative compositions use nervous, colorful marks and hatching to convey the essence of the landscape, akin to Chinese calligraphy. Critic Élisabeth Couturier praised the works for their intensity and economy of means, noting that Sorg's dialogue with his subject reveals the telluric power and life force of the environment.