The artist, whose human silhouettes intrigue with their strength and simplicity, has created a very graphic colourful work for the recently inaugurated Station Alsace-Lorraine.
He took part in the first Free Figuration Exhibition in 1981 and made a name for himself by painting on recycled materials, such as torn posters found in the street. Represented in Vence by the Catherine Issert Gallery, Jean-Charles Blais had already created a gigantic frieze for the Assemblée Nationale metro station in Paris. For Nice Tram Line 2, the artist wanted to produce monumental forms without imposing them on passengers. ‘Decor like a drop shadow,’ attests Jean-Charles Blais, whose drawings were transposed onto huge pieces of raspberry-coloured adhesive papers, which he was then able to cut again before they were stuck to the walls. In the Jean-Médecin Avenue direction, passengers will discover two red faces opposite each other. A double head harking back to the figure of Janus, the Roman God of doorways and archways. On the other side, towards Nice Côte d'Azur Airport, we find the negative, the counterpart. This remarkably effective work is a true tribute to Matisse and Le Corbusier’s paper cut-outs.
Par Tanja Stojanov
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