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EnglishAT THE CABINET DES ESTAMPES A Remarkable Exhibition: “Plants and Flowers”
Newspaper article following the opening night of the plants and flowers exhibition at the “Cabinet des Estampes” of Geneva which took place from the 31rst March to the 28th of April 1962.
Last Friday evening, at the “Cabinet des Estampes” [of Geneva], a very large number of the public were present for the varnishing night of Messrs Roger Descombes and Charles Poluzzi who are respectively showing a very beautiful series of dry-point flower engravings and a remarkable collection of watercolours of mushrooms.
Mr. Bouffard, [the Museums’] administrative advisor, introduced the two artists and said how much he appreciated Messrs Poluzzi and Descombes’ collaboration not only for the help it would thus bring to the Botanical Gardens museum but also the appreciable support they were demonstrating to the “Musée d’art et d’histoire.”
Mr. Bouffard emphasised the fact that Roger Descombes engraved directly on the copper-plates, without any preparatory drawing whatsoever, the magnificent specimens that he was here presenting. About Charles Poluzzi, he underlined his ability with minutia, the refinement of his observation and his extraordinary precision which make him a truly remarkable artist.
Mr. Baehni [director of the Botanical Gardens of Geneva], said that despite the advances of today’s photography how valuable these works were scientifically and how necessary these engravings and watercolours were in what they were capable of making us feel about a specimen; something that simply could not be captured on film.
Mr. Poluzzi’s watercolours of minutely differentiated hues afford a lovely collection of images not only because of the precision of his lines but also because of the delicate subtleties of his tones. These are indeed documents standing more or less on their own with no other precedent either in art history or in science. Mr. Poluzzi is not only a miniaturist of great talent but he is also a passionate observer of nature which he knows how to represent with wonderful fidelity and sensitivity. Poluzzi does not merely copy nature, he recreates it with astonishing “finesse” while “playing” with any difficulties that may occur -usually born out of his medium- the watercolour.
The tones of his colours are amazingly delicate and are able to convey not only the “velvety” feel of certain kinds of mushrooms but also the “roughness” of more “scaly” ones. Unfortunately, and many will regret it, none of these superb watercolours were for sale.
The consummate engraver’s art of Roger Descombes leaves the amateur as well as the professional completely astounded. As has already been said, this artist works with a perfectly sure and steady hand directly on the copper-plate without any kind of preliminary drawing. But Descombes’ remarkable “performance” does not end here. The fineness of his ability with the burin is matched only by his wonderful reproductions of the colours of the flowers and the absolute precision with which he renders every minute detail. These engravings, by virtue of the subtlety of the line and originality of the drawing used, are very much reminiscent of certain kinds of Chinese paintings in the best possible taste. In short, they marry-up most joyfully the rigours of science with artistic impulses.
Translation by Louise Descombes, July 2010
J-J. M. Tribune de Genève, avril 1962.
