Kabuki (Red), 1953

The title of André Evard’s work refers to the Japanese dance theatre of the Edo period (1603-1868). The artist clarifies this reference through the use of the traditional Japanese colours red, black and gold. Two golden rectangles are visible, placed in the composition on a red background in such a way that they run in opposite diagonal directions and break with the strictly horizontal and vertical black lines. This gives the painting dynamism and, in addition to the title of the painting, illustrates the theme of dance.

Charles L´Eplattenier, André Evard’s former teacher, collected Asian woodcuts and Japanese bronzes. Evard was also enthusiastic about Far Eastern art objects and began to collect them himself. His treasures included woodcuts, wooden sculptures, Indian cloths, Persian carpets, Japanese masks and much more.