Chapelle rayonnante

(Radiant chapel)

1987, oil painting on canvas, 81 x 65 cm
Private coll.
N° inv. 1524

During a stay in Switzerland in September 1980, Gaston Bertrand discovered Rougemont, a mountain village between Gstaad and Château-d’Oex with a small Romanesque church built in the 11th century by the monks of Cluny and devoted to Saint Nicholas. Once again, the artist was charmed by the radiant structure and the contemplation atmosphere of this humble Middle-Age building which was redesigned in the 16th century. As for Montmajour and Saint-Mark (Venice), the interplay of semi-circular arches fascinated the painter and activated his creative process. However, Bertrand was more accurate than usual regarding the perspective of the building. Indeed, the works inspired by the church reflect the sequence of increasingly small pilasters, arches and windows, which gives the impression of leading the eye towards the heart of the sanctuary and to some remote and secret place.
Some of the oil paintings inspired by Rougemont, such as Chappelle rayonnante, exude the intangible and steamy atmosphere which the painter could feel in that small Swiss sanctuary. It seems that, reaching the end of his life, Gaston Bertrand was seeking warm bright atmospheres rather than the formal strictness of architecture that used to inspire him.