Chroniques silencieuses

This monumental triptych, titled "Silent Chronicles", showcases Sophie Dumont's ability to capture the tranquility and richness of the library world in a composition that is both structured and vibrant. Composed of three vertical panels measuring 150 x 50 cm each, totaling 150 x 150 cm (framed in 157 x 171 cm), the work unfolds a dialogue between order and color, between silence and intensity.

The three panels function as variations on the same theme: meticulously structured bookshelves, brought to life by the generous application of pictorial material. The knife technique is omnipresent, offering a raw texture that contrasts with the rigid geometry of the shelves. This opposition gives rise to a subtle tension, where harmony is built in the balance of forms and reliefs.

Dumont's palette is rich and controlled. Neutral tones of gray and white serve as a backdrop, highlighting the vibrancy of reds, ochres, and blacks. These colors, arranged in vertical and horizontal strokes, evoke both the diversity of narratives and the elegance of suspended time. The central panel, dominated by an intense red at the top, acts as a visual anchor, giving striking depth to the whole. This red, almost theatrical, energizes the work while symbolizing intellectual warmth and the passion for knowledge.

Each panel, while autonomous, fits into an overall coherence, offering a fluid but never monotonous reading. This tripartite construction is reminiscent of minimalist or modernist works, where the repetition of motifs is enriched by slight variations. Here, Dumont celebrates the book-object, not as a static element, but as a symbol of life, exchange, and memory.

The title, "Silent Chronicles", emphasizes this poetic dimension. These libraries are not merely alignments of works; they are guardians of stories, silent witnesses of human thought. The silence suggested by the absence of human figures is almost palpable, while the pictorial material seems to whisper the buried tales in each volume.

With this work, Sophie Dumont once again demonstrates her talent for reconciling abstraction and figuration, texture and light, order and emotion. The viewer is invited to lose themselves in the details of the reliefs, in the nuances of colors, and to project their own imagination onto these silent shelves. "Silent Chronicles" is an ode to the book and its timeless power, a triptych that asserts itself through its apparent simplicity and evocative strength.