The art of Fabienne Delacroix continues the legacy of her father, an internationally renowned Naïve painter Michel Delacroix. Fabienne, his youngest daughter, spent her early years playing in her father’s studio and observing him at work. Her precocious talent for art was made manifest in a solo exhibition she had at age twelve in California. Since then, Fabienne Delacroix has broadened the choice of her themes and techniques, occasionally painting with acrylic, watercolor, and experimenting with print. Most recently, her artistic success was endorsed by the Musée International d’Art Naïf de Magog (MIANM) that accepted two of her paintings in its renowned collection.
Despite the fact that both stylistically and thematically her works can be linked to Naïve Art, they also present a challenge in classi- fication. Fabienne’s works draw on her childhood memories, tales, and her taste for the calm, slow pace of life. As Michel Forest, a scholar and the Director of MIANM point out, Fabienne’s taste for storytelling and highlighting “simple and innocent pleasures,” her compositions that put the characters in clusters, each dedicated to a particular activity, and, above all, her vibrant color palette, all present a strong link to the art of Michel Delacroix. However, the ease with which she solves the problems of perspective, defines with realism the postures of her characters and creates painting and illustrations with extremely meticulous compositions gives Forest the impression that the sophistication of her works surpasses that of Naïve paintings and puts her on the side of figurative classical artist. It is this interplay of affinity and contrast that Fabienne’s work is, and what captivates Naïve art connoisseurs.
The title of this show “Douce France” Sweet France is a reference to the title of Charles Trent’s famous song. The lyrics resonate with
Fabienne’s love of France:
“Sweet France
Dear country of my childhood
Cradled in tender carefreeness
I have kept you in my heart”
The paintings in this show reflect Fabienne’s love of Paris; the changing seasons with such paintings as Les Couleurs de l’hiver, Ma saison preferée, the series 4 Saisons de Notre-Dame, or Neige sur le Pavillon de Flore. Delacroix also unveils her taste for the grandeur of the Renaissance with a series of 6 Loire Valley castles: le Chateau d’Azay le Rideau, le Chateau de Cheverny, le Château d’Amboise, Le Chateau de Chenonceaux, Le Chateau Chambord, hommage à Louis Touzain and Le Chateau de Villandry with its intricate, awe-inspiring and inherently French garden.
Le Moulin Rouge depuis la Rue Blanche and Neige sur le Pavillon de Flore (the Louvre) offer the viewer the two symbols of Paris depicted in the time of Belle Epoque, with all its artistic and literary output.
Notre-Dame de Paris, hiver presented here during the Holiday Season deserves special notice, for it will be long before Notre-Dame will regain its original shape to hold a Christmas Mass. The show ends with a serene and positive depiction of a family dinner outdoors, surrounded by trees and lanterns diffusing soft and cheerful light in Scène de la vie de Provence, hommage à Sidaner.
