When Silvère Boureau came from France in 1982, he was primarily an expressionist painter of the human form. However, the discovery of the American landscape and its interpretaion by nineteenth century luminists, opened a new vision on painting. Boureau sought to experience the wilderness first hand, by hiking in remote areas in the backwoods of Maine, the Adirondack Mountains and the Grand Canyon. To stand on a mountain top and look as far as the eye can see without encountering any mark of human intervention remains an exhilarating experience for him. Especially coming from western Europe where the hand of man on the landscape is omnipresent, the discovery of “wilderness” was a revelation.
Plein air painting by Lake Lila, Adirondack mountains.
I take time to roam the Eastern States forests scouting for that special place – an out of the way valley, a hidden water fall in an untouched landscape, where you can feel the timelessness of ecosystems in perfect balance. I paint “en plein air”, sketch, and eventually paint a larger picture in my studio. My intention is to capture and render the spirit of the place with minimal interpretation .
