ANATOLE HEGER ”Anatole’s Diary”

Weathering the ever-changing liminality between self and nature, Anatole Heger draws from his own impulses and experiences. As a poetic painter, Heger lifts the veil of the uncanny through an intimate exchange with his stylized figure and an otherworldly environment. He encapsulates the solace notion of man in nature—through veering moments of figurative expression layered with abstracted details. He intentionally renders a more muted palette to create a mystical world because, for Heger, "the unknown makes beauty immortal." His application of this notion is evident in his color choice, where he produces works with heavy somber-toned backdrops, where the landscape is obfuscated, building a harmonious tension between the protagonist and the setting. Heger signature style configuration juxtaposes the protagonist in a maelstrom of feelings, which is indicative of the title of this exhibition, "Anatole's Diary." Each painting is a visceral memoir exploring Heger's time in California and, more largely, his global journey. As a child and to this day, Heger has lived a vivacious life, where he constantly moved and traveled, connecting to apparatuses and cultures from every continent. He chose painting to share his sphere of inclinations. As his first gallery exhibition in the United States, he composes painterly dreamscapes of serene portraits and tranquil landscapes that render an unforgettable ethereal sensation, leaving a gorgeous thrill that could only be forged by the entrancing Anatole Heger.