Artwork Description

Title: Les Primevères Primrose
Artist: Christian Silvain
Date: n.d.
Medium: Assemblage (shoes on canvas)
Dimensions: 11.8 x 11.8 x 2 in (30 x 30 x 15 cm)

1. Artwork Identification:
In Les Primevères Primrose, Christian Silvain juxtaposes found childhood objects with intricate visual storytelling. This mixed media assemblage prominently features two glossy, mismatched children’s shoes affixed to a monochrome pictorial surface scattered with surreal, collaged imagery. The red “G” and the number “7” punctuate the piece with cryptic intensity, offering clues to Silvain’s symbolic language.

2. Artistic Style and Influences:
Silvain's signature use of toys and everyday objects marks his turn toward an autobiographical, Pop-inflected Surrealism. His early influences from Paul Delvaux remain palpable in the dreamlike construction of space and narrative tension, while the visual language of childhood is employed to express trauma, memory, and identity. The work also echoes the spirit of Arte Povera and Neo-Dada in its material play.

3. Historical Context:
By the time Silvain created this assemblage, his oeuvre had evolved from photorealistic urban facades to more poetic, object-based compositions. This piece likely falls within his post-1980s period, when his attention turned toward memory, innocence, and the subconscious. His assemblages, often incorporating shoes, dolls, or broken toys, represent fragmented recollections of his own troubled youth in post-war Belgium.

4. Provenance:
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation:
The artwork is in very good condition. The shoes retain their glossy surface, the canvas remains stable, and the three-dimensional elements are securely attached. The entire piece is encased in a transparent protective box frame, preserving both surface and form.

6. Artistic Significance:
Les Primevères Primrose embodies Christian Silvain’s deeply personal yet universally resonant approach to artmaking. Using the language of the everyday, he dissects themes of vulnerability and nostalgia. This work stands as a poignant and tactile testament to Silvain’s ability to extract psychological weight from ordinary objects, situating him as a singular figure within European contemporary art.