Pierre Bergian paints rooms and spaces that are often almost empty, bar a small selection of furnishings and objects. They are unanimously devoid of people. As a child, Bergian was intrigued by the many old, abandoned houses he encountered in towns such as Bruges, Lille and Ghent. Empty and dark, without artificial light, these buildings were shrouded in an air of the mysterious, further inspiring the interest of the artist. Through his work, he aims to discover more about the atmosphere of similar environments, something which could be easily achieved through photography, but would perhaps reveal too much in the process. The comparatively slow application of paint onto canvas gives the image more time to penetrate the mind and allows us to really absorb what it is we are looking at, despite the Spartan nature of its initial appearance.
These vacant rooms take on an almost surreal form. The absence of visual distraction causes us to look closer and also highlights what is to be seen. As an artist, Bergian has encountered many architects, decorators and collectors: all people who, within various forms and through various mediums, deal in the business of creating an environment. That an opening observation might be that these rooms are often filled with art, whether it be hung on the walls or piled against an easel on the floor, is a reflection upon this and, of course, his own career as an artist. The role they play may seem limited, often being depicted as no more than a square shade of colour upon the wall, set into frames but possessing little detail, but in doing so Bergian insures our attention is focused more on the composition and presence of his work rather than what is displayed within the scene.
These vacant rooms take on an almost surreal form. The absence of visual distraction causes us to look closer and also highlights what is to be seen. As an artist, Bergian has encountered many architects, decorators and collectors: all people who, within various forms and through various mediums, deal in the business of creating an environment. That an opening observation might be that these rooms are often filled with art, whether it be hung on the walls or piled against an easel on the floor, is a reflection upon this and, of course, his own career as an artist. The role they play may seem limited, often being depicted as no more than a square shade of colour upon the wall, set into frames but possessing little detail, but in doing so Bergian insures our attention is focused more on the composition and presence of his work rather than what is displayed within the scene.
