Denis Laget's Apocalyptic Landscapes at Galerie Frédéric Giroux

Denis Laget's exhibition at Galerie Frédéric Giroux in Paris, running from May 15 to July 12, 2003, presents a series of paintings depicting desolate, cosmic landscapes. The works, described as 'saturnian,' feature multiple suns, anemic light, and a putrid, lifeless terrain, evoking a sense of apocalypse and decay. Laget, a painter who does not seek permission to paint, creates these scenes with a thick, manipulated paint that conveys a sense of disaster. The exhibition includes earlier series such as 'Wings,' 'Self-Portraits,' 'Skulls,' 'Wilted Flowers,' 'Dead Rabbits,' 'Sheep Heads,' and 'Meat Quarters,' all characterized by themes of melancholy and decomposition. The text references Albrecht Dürer's 1525 dream of water columns and Monte-Snyders' 1774 'Metamorphosis Planetarum' to contextualize the apocalyptic vision. Philippe Ducat's essay highlights the alchemy of form and content in Laget's work, noting the elegance despite the grim subject matter.