THE BLACK AND WHITE COMPOSITIONS
By RUTH OFFENBACH
"Black and
white represent untouched hidden harmony between thoughts and shapes", said de La Croix. To many, black is darkness and white is light. To de La Croix,
this interpretation is a myth and an illusion. He found serenity and peace in
black colors and discovered intensity in white. Both colors are the constant
interaction of unification between two states of mind, between desires and
determination, hope and a greater hope, a certain mysticism unites both colors
within and outside the immensity of the canvas. He does not look upon black and
white as contradictory colors. On the contrary, he does find in “White” an
infinite continuity toward “Black”. And in the “Black” he resumed his journey
toward brighter visions, more tranquility and believe it or not, "black" leads
him toward
light. De La Croix wrote: "The fragile unity which separates black and
white shades, creates a mystic, enigmatic, half macabre-half joyful art dimension we can only
visit or explore in our fears and joys, in our visions and fantasies."
"A
black and white picture does not lie. A colored one does because it camouflages
the truth.”, once
wrote de La Croix. He added “ Beauty has its colors, like the prairie has its
wild roses. But, the divine truthful beauty is dormant, because you have to
search for it. It is serene, quite, polite, tender. You have to walk on your
toes so gently and so discreetly to join her while sleeping. Can you achieve
this, in bright
colors. Of course you can, but you will wake her up."
Zen played a paramount role in
influencing de La Croix’s fascination with black and white. For years, he
studied Zen calligraphy, the philosophical concepts of Emptiness “Kara” and
“Koan” and embarked on a long quest for artistic truth and self realization
through understanding colors, particularly black and white. According to de La
Croix, "only illuminated artists are capable of discovering the one million and
one shades and meanings of black and white. It is not what they represent to us,
it is not how bright or how dark they are, it is not what stories and
traditions they illustrate in the traditional mind, folklore and social
substructure but, in the immense wealth of depth and freedom one gets in
exploring their depth and transcendental infinity.
