Traversé par les méandres by Christian Halna du Fretay is an acrylic painting on a traditional Japanese shikishi board. This work captures the energy of natural movement through a layered, abstract composition. Gestural brushstrokes and overlapping tonal planes in blue, green, and orange evoke a forest crossed by unseen currents or wind.
Painted on shikishi, a rigid square board traditionally used for calligraphy and poetry, the piece brings together contemporary technique and historical format. The golden edges of the board enhance the warmth of the palette and frame the composition with subtle luminosity. The compact scale intensifies the viewer’s focus, inviting a closer, intimate reading of the surface.
Du Fretay uses acrylic with dry and wet layering, allowing color to accumulate in soft transparencies and sharp contrasts. Areas of dense texture meet open washes, creating a dynamic tension between opacity and light. The overall effect is one of flow—visual, emotional, and spatial—drawing the viewer into a suspended, contemplative state.
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.
Traversé par les méandres by Christian Halna du Fretay
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".
