Francois Samson
As a child Francois Samson never held a crayon,
never came close to a paintbrush. He never drew. For him art
was a vague notion, a human activity that held no attraction.
Later in life he earned a living as a construction worker, a
job he has certainly had the physique to handle. Francois Samson
is a big man, as benefits his name. Destiny? Perhaps. Somewhere
inside him lurked a passion, unsuspected, hidden so deep he
never imagined it was there, buried in the entrails of his being
and his creative imagination. Then one day, as he was helping
pave St. Paul Street in Québec’s Lower town, he
walked in to an at gallery during coffee break . The gallery
happened to be showing the works of Richard Mills. Samson felt
a shiver run down his spine. He felt dizzy, positively vertiginous;
at that moment a brilliant light struck Francois Samson and
he would never be the same again. His life was transformed in
an instant! He had just witnessed his own death and rebirth.
As they say…you only live twice…
Most astonishing about this story is not its romantic overtone,
but the prodigious, instantaneous comprehension Francois Samson
acquired of pictorial expression, even though he had never been
in direct contact with painting before. It was as if he had
suddenly become a painter, questioning the meaning o imagery,
trying to transform spirit in to matter. It is rare to meet
someone with such absolute predisposition.
Francois Samson has been painting for 5 years now. His recent
woks usually have the human body as subject. His palette is
as lively as fire, as if he painted with lava. The textures
moving across his surfaces are generous and expressive. Difficult
to discern a particular theme on first viewing, perhaps because
there really isn’t one…unless it is the subject
itself. A theme that expresses burning inner passion that seems
to be balanced on the imaginary, and yet very real junction
between intense jubilation and total pain. This is extreme painting
at its best!
His approach revolves around the notion of representation
itself. ; It relies on a single solution; on his very personal
way of expressing reality and human perception through the filter
of a medium which has only two dimensions (height and width).
This kind of search is not new, but it remains fresh, because
the problem, which is intemporal and universal, is inherent
to the act of painting itself. Solutions to the problem differ
depending on the individual, as well as where and when they
live. Everything has to be reinvented, because the way we see
ourselves and our environment is always in transformation, from
one culture to another, from one period of life to another.
Samson has come up with his own solutions, conceiving what he
calls ‘des enfonce's’- canvasses mounted on false
frames which are much deeper than normal, and which he uses
to create a highly tangible sense of depth or ‘relief.’
He also stretches strange cords from one side of the canvas,
amplifying the effect of depth an, curiously enough, countering
any potential for banality the technique might otherwise produce.
Because any ‘technique’ or special effect used in
painting runs the risk of seeming facile, a cheap trick. Francois
Samson has been very successful at avoiding that trap. His painting
are powerful and surprising, their impact reaches well beyond
the fascination of the simple effect.
Francois Samson is an artist to be discovered. His originality,
power and exaltation will make you a believer. From now on,
when you talk paintings you’ll have to include Francois
Samson on your list of favourites.
