PLANÈTE SAUVAGE

Planète Sauvage
2018
Oil on panel
55 x 45 cm

Planète Sauvage is an oil painting from the first half of the 20th century, adapted by Blase in 2018. In the foreground, a child in three-quarter stares blankly towards the horizon. The deep blue-green background immediately evokes the familiar slate boards.

But what really catches the eye is the provocative message written in chalk behind the child. In gaudy white letters, it bluntly proclaims: "Daddy's a whore". This bold and shocking statement shook all expectations by laying the foundations for a reflection on authority figures, starting with that of the patriarch. This radical emancipation of the authority figure can be deftly juxtaposed with Blase's personal experience, which throughout his life has strived to free himself from the constraints of "what will people say", as well as artistic conventions and norms. 

The contrast becomes even more pronounced when we link the substance of the message, with its hard-hitting coarseness, to its mode of expression, characterised by childlike writing. This combination, highlighted by the child's carefree gaze, lends the work as a whole an atmosphere of accomplished 'mischief', emanating from an intrinsic desire for emancipation. Through her visceral aversion to all forms of authority, the artist manages to emancipate herself with humour and disruption.