Jean Paul Langlois, a Métis artist, showcases a selection of his recent works that mark a departure from his previous focus on storytelling and family history. Known for his use of ultra-saturated colors and pop culture motifs, Langlois grapples with a sense of alienation from his cultural backgrounds—both indigenous and settler. His latest paintings delve into landscapes, offering a new avenue for exploring emotion and identity.
Shifting Focus to Landscapes
Langlois shares that he has shifted his focus towards landscapes, a departure from his earlier thematic explorations. He embarked on a cross-country plein air painting tour, immersing himself in the natural beauty of various landscapes. This shift signifies a deeper exploration of emotion and the absence of specific narratives, allowing the paintings to evoke feelings and stories that emerge during the creative process.
Embracing Emotional Content
Through his landscape paintings, Jean Paul Langlois delves into the emotional content embedded within natural scenery. He finds that landscapes offer a canvas for expressing a wide range of emotions without the constraints of specific identities or narratives. This freedom allows Langlois to tap into subconscious layers of meaning and unearth stories that were previously hidden.
An Artistic Journey of Discovery
Langlois’s artistic journey mirrors a process of discovery and introspection. Painting landscapes serves as a catalyst for uncovering hidden content and narratives that reside within the landscapes themselves. The absence of direct storytelling shifts the focus to pure emotion, echoing the sentiments expressed by Richard Mayhew about the emotive essence of landscapes in art.
In essence, Jean Paul Langlois’ exploration of landscapes represents a deeper dive into emotion, identity, and the interconnectedness of human experience with the natural world. His paintings transcend mere visual representation, inviting viewers to engage with the subtle nuances of emotion and storytelling woven into the fabric of landscapes.
