Sylvain Tremblay

The paintings, boldly glowing with Sylvain Tremblay’s signature veneer, have streamlined compositions playing against the abstract checkerboard of colour planes. They serve as backdrops for the textural figures in his work. The paintings are striking, the emerging human form roughly sketched, elongated figures inspired by the works of Alberto Giacometti’s crudely moulded stick men. As one approaches the painting, the many layers of varnish, undulating, almost moving, begin to release their hidden images creating an abstract landscape for the human forms within the piece.

Sylvain Tremblay’s works have always been anchored in the inescapable passage of time, use and texture. His themes converge on the human condition in an industrialised, urban context. Although the artist works on canvas, he sees his paintings as something closer to sculpture.

Tremblay shapes his human figures with the idea in mind of a sculpture, weathered by time and the natural elements. "Just as the experiences in life weather us physically and emotionally, I want to express this in art, that’s why I like to work with texture; the crackling and the overall look of used, weathered and lived in."

If imitation is indeed the highest form of flattery, then Sylvain Tremblay should consider himself flattered. It seems his unique style has inspired others to follow step, but instead of provoking anxiety, this unexpected form of artistic tip of the hat only spurred the painter into a new level of meaning and passion in his work.

In collections all over the world, canvas upon canvas attest to the enormous richness of the artist’s imagination and seemingly endless creative energy.