Le chant de la nature – Unique Painting on Shikishi by Christian Halna du Fretay
“Le chant de la nature” is an acrylic and collage painting on Japanese shikishi board by Christian Halna du Fretay. A single standing figure, seen from behind, anchors the composition. Around them unfolds a terrain of textured greys and intense reds, with layered strokes and fragments of organic forms.
The work subtly merges figurative and abstract elements. The body seems to emerge from its surroundings, rather than stand apart from them. Du Fretay creates this effect through the juxtaposition of opaque and translucent areas, gestural brushwork, and embedded collage fragments.
The golden trim of the shikishi board enhances the painting’s inner warmth and gives a quiet structure to the image. Rather than describing a scene, the painting evokes a feeling of presence within nature—silent, attentive, and grounded.
This work is part of the Contemporary Shikishi Art Project curated by Art San Gallery, which invites artists to explore the creative potential of shikishi within contemporary practices.
Original one-of-a-kind artwork by Christian Halna du Fretay.
Collage, acrylique, pencil on a traditional Shikishi made in Kyoto - Japanese paper mounted on a cardoard with a golden border of metallic paper.
Size : 24cm x 27cm (9.4 x 10.6 inches)
Signed "Du Fretay".