Georges Noël was born in Béziers, France in 1924. He began his education as an engineering student and then studied both painting and sculpture in Pau from 1939-1945. Influenced greatly by the art informal and Noveau Réalisme movements that emerged at this time, Georges Noël believes in gesture, objects and the accident. The imagery within each oh his paintings is inspired by primitive and archaic symbols, graffiti art and musical scores.
After moving to Paris in 1955, his artistic career began to flourish, and it continued to accelerate when he relocated to the United States. Beginning in the 1950s and continuing through 2000 Georges Noël produced both canvases and works on hand-made papers, which were based on palimpsests. Palimpsests are old manuscript pages often made of parchment or vellum that have been written on, scraped off and then used again. During this process, the old writing would not be completely erased and would often still be visible. Georges Noël takes the concept of palimpsest pages and builds upon his canvasses with sculptural materials such as sand, crushed flint, and raw pigments bringing three dimensionality and vigor to each work. Georges Noël was a professor at the Minneapolis School of Art in 1969 and lived in New York from 1969-1983. He returned to Paris in 1983.
The artwork of Georges Noël has been exhibited internationally and is included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Bibliothèque Nationale and F.N.A.C. in Paris, and the Nationalgalerie in Berlin.
Pur Palimpseste was painted in 1961, an important year in Noel’s work and this canvas stands as historically important. So much comes out of this moment and this particular work both for Noel and in the circle of artist’s experimenting at that time with graffiti, mark making and new materials.
In 1959 to 1960, the utilization of sand and pigments used in mixed media form takes firm root with Noel. He chooses it as a medium and it chooses him as well. Other artist’s such as Enrico Donati go on to embrace this medium and it became the medium Noel found could compliment his tendencies and way of working as well as communicate the ideas that were present in his head.
His works right at this time and with this medium took on the character of archeological fragments or even “palimpsests” which are manuscripts or a material one writes on that has been effaced to make room for new writings but on which remnants and traces remain. This work was done as he was freshly finding his interest in being able to get down to a primordial expression through digging, incising and moving around the sand and pigment after having built it up. This seemed to be a continuation in a way of what Jean Dubuffet had begun and was certainly an inspiration to Noel.
Noel was newly represented by Paul Facchetti in Paris. Facchetti at this moment was also showing Jackson Pollack and Cy Twombly amongst other avant-garde artists who were all defining their directions and identities at this time. Twombly and Noel were both interested in Graffiti, in writing and marks as well that man has needed to leave and make over time. Noel’s compositions to this day, if put beside Twombly express more purity, originality and sincerity than Twomblys. Noel drew an adept comparison at one time between his and Twombly’s work. He said that Twombly’s forms caress his canvas and he himself is more of a farmer plowing into his canvases. At this time too, Noel’s work garnered more interest than Twombly, but history played out that Twombly made better choices later with his dealer representation and thus his work ascended in price more than Noel.
Noel made another decision right at this juncture. Noel wanted to “purify” himself of color and he referred to this as a period of purification. The title here of “Pur” along with its white color is an example of this decision. With the use of white, Noel knew that his use of line would stand out more purely and the work would take on an ethereal feel and even a equilibrium of life.
As well, at this early stage and date, this is one of the first canvases where there is an indication of a door or a portal or a point of entry. In fact, on this canvas it feels like the discovery of this idea is fresh as he ebulliently works around that point of entry, almost decorating the edges and then drawing embracing and encompassing arches around it. And even an indication with the inner squares that this is a translucent see through area that reflects symbolizing that we can see beyond and will see beyond. On the canvas itself he blurs areas and leaves traces of having made marks and then erased them. His line is fluid and bombastic and one is left with this work feeling the energy it took if you follow the lines.
With this painting and the others done at this date and shown at the Facchetti Gallery in June of 1961, Noel made an entrance into the 1960’s as an artist that museums and the art world needed to watch. Museum curators acquired his work as did astute collectors. The paintings of 1961 remain the foundation for his early discoveries of where he worked best and had a springboard to jump anywhere, he pleased from there.
Born in Béziers, France, Georges Noël first studied engineering before studying painting and drawing from 1939 until 1945 in Pau. His career as an artist began to flourish after his move to Paris in 1955 and grew in the United States where he taught painting at the Minneapolis School of Art in 1969 and living in New York from 1969 until 1983 when he moved back to Paris.
Galerie Paul Facchetti, Paris (label verso);
Waddington and Tooth Galleries, London, WGB3263 (label verso);
Brunk Auctions, North Carolina
Property of a Southern Museum sold to benefit the Acquisition Fund