EXHIBITED:
Poem Colors – Bernard Cathelin , Mainichi Newspapers Co., Tokyo, March 3 – June 28, 1994

ILLUSTRATED:
Poem Colors – Bernard Cathelin , Mainichi Newspapers Co., Tokyo, 1994, color illustrated, p. 37
Promenade à Paris , Galerie Elegance, Taipei, 2011, color illustrated, p. 58

ROSES D’INDE
BERNARD CATHELIN

“Roses d’Inde” encompasses broad brushstrokes and a warm colour palette of sweet melodious har mony and artistic charm. It exudes extraordinary romantic nostalgia through the use of a warm palette of amber, beige, yellow and autumn greens, all set against a whitish beige backdrop that delicately compliments the form of the three foliated blossom with soften edges in the backdrop elongating the composition and the naturalistic form of further delicate florets and leafy sprigs of the bouquet r esting elegantly on its vase in the foreground, the sinuous lines defining the shape of the bulbous vase raising to a waisted mid-section from the foot, below the naturalistic arrangement of the bouquet. The present lot features a notable elegant temperament beautifully imbued with the poetic sentiments of Cathelin’s love for beautiful scenery of natur e. The artist pays tribute to this wonderful world through his use of colors and means of a semi-figurative form to extenuation the naturalistic beauty of his subject matter, his palettes are extremely rich and often exhibit colors and quantities from the countries he had visited in the past, including Drôme, Mexico, India and Japan. Cathelin’s works are akin to a beautiful Japanese Haiku poem of great poetic sentiments.

In retrospect, Bernard Cathelin was born in Paris in 1919. The artist studied at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Paris and further explored on the techniques of painting under the guidance of M. Brianchon. Bernard Cathelin's painterly approach adopted and inherited the spirit of the French Les Nabis, a group of Post-Impressionist avant-garde artists who set the pace for fine arts during the 1890s in France. Throughout his life, he has maintained a deep-rooted love for his country and especially for Drôme, the homeland of his mother. The artist studied among artists such as Maurice Brianchon and Henri Matisse. His magnificent painting rendered primarily using brushes and palette knives with oil on canvas filled with rich colours and textures to honour his poetic subjects as he travelled extensively ar ound the world in search of inspirations for his artistic pr oductions.

Cathelin has exhibited in the Salon d'Automne, Salon des Tuileries, Salon de la Jeune Peinture among other established galleries globally including the United Kingdom, United States, Switzerland, Canada, Japan and Shanghai. In particular, the Musée de Valence dedicated a retrospective of the artists’ works in 1997. In 2000, the Shanghai Art Museum in China organized a retrospective exhibition presenting 40 years of Bernard Cathelin’s works in celebration of his contributions. Cathelin has received many awards through out the years as an affirmation to his artistic talents. In 1997, the Musée de V alence dedicated a retrospective of the artist’s work. The Shanghai Art Museum in China had organized a retrospective exhibition presenting 40 years of Ber nard Cathelin's works in 2000.