Occupying Space
Pierre Antonelli develops an abstract drawing practice based on simple geometric forms (squares, circles, rectangles) that occupy space.
Within these frames unfold compositions where points and lines (the fundamental elements of both drawing and writing) find a new balance.
While writing conveys a message through the association of words, sounds, and ideas, abstract drawing opens another path: one of immediate, open perception, where meaning arises from the viewer’s gaze, free to interpret the image through their own sensibility.
“The first ‘ideas’ for drawings came from the old margins of my notes,
until one day I tried to make them autonomous…”
Contrasts and Nuances
The works are created on heavy paper (300 g/m²), with fine or satin grain, in a range of tones chosen to emphasize contrast and evoke subtle nuances.
On a white background, the forms retain a certain transparency.
The work unfolds in two modes – black and white on one hand, color (bi-chromatic or polychromatic) on the other – and in two main formats: Jésus (56 × 76 cm) and Grand Aigle (75 × 105 cm).
Tools
The palette of materials is wide: India ink and lacquer ink, Western and Japanese watercolors, colored pencils.
The tools range from tubular pens and brushes to metal nibs and various pencils, depending on the desired effects — outlines, washes, textures — in a constant dialogue between gesture and surface.
Pierre Antonelli lives and works in Strasbourg.
His works are included in the public collections of Frac Alsace, the Artothèque de Strasbourg, and in several private collections.
