Οἶσθ᾽ὅτιποίησίςἐστίτιπολύ·ἡγάρτοιἐκτοῦµὴὄντοςεἰςτὸὂνἰόντιὁτῳοῦν αἰτίαπᾶσάἐστι [205c] ποίησις, ὥστεκαὶαἱὑπὸπάσαιςταῖςτέχναιςἐργασίαιπ οιήσειςεἰσὶκαὶοἱτούτωνδηµιουργοὶπάντεςποιηταί.1
Introduction All creation begins by a poetic transformation,moving from the shapeless to the shape. But the first of all creations very often takes place unnoticed,that of the man to the artist, hidden behind his work of art. Thierry Gonnin starts by changing himself:the teacher reveals what he has always felt: the attraction for the purity of lines and the elegance of curves. Self taught, he learns how to handle the tools. During two years he acquired a technical background , as solid as his favourite matter, metal, which doesn't bend easily. He thus discovers the masters' harshness and the roughness of “IPNs”, those metal beams which labour renders graceful and aerial. The artist discloses an abstract work of art where abstraction never disheartens. On the contrary, it opens horizons which everyone can fill with his own imagination. The work of lines on iron first of all, then on stainless steel, inspires a deep serenity. From his first works of art, unsettled, always unbalanced, seized in an interrupted movement, to his most recent, all curves, well balanced and radiant, Thierry Gonnin continues his self-exploration from chaos to cosmos,from the primary disorder to harmony. (1) Poetry is a word which has many meanings : generally it expresses the cause transforming anything from a state of non-being to being : thus all invention is poetry and all inventors are poets. To get to know an artist requires more than just a biography. Any research carried out with a browser can fulfil this task and satisfy curiosity. However such information is not sufficient. Thierry Gonnin is a Montluçon sculptor. Firmly attached to his home soil by farming origins, he begins his works of art using natural matter, such as stone. Does this mean that the lines of these works of art reflect his affection for nature and for the straight direction of the furrows? His life only enlightens us a little. Having become a teacher, management and accountancy professor at Montluçon, should one look for the origin of the erect style of his iron and steel sculptures in columns of figures? There again, the essential is elsewhere. Note that farmers' qualities -humility and perseverance- influenced his childhood. That makes sense. Such are the prominent characteristics of an artist who exposes tirelessly since 1995 from Clermont-Ferrand to Paris,from Marrakesh to Valencia and from Geneva to Friedrichshafen. Modesty and unfailing will-power are required, facing matter, to present to everyone, by means of iron and fire, a part of oneself, that of a human. Offering to one and all in art, a sight capable of touching everyone's emotions beyond any specific culture. Qualities such as strictness and harmony of mathematics are noticeable traits of his profession. 1Tu sais que poésie est un mot qui renferme bien des choses : il exprime en général la cause qui fait passer du non être à l'être quoi que ce soit : de sorte que toute invention est poésie, et que tous les inventeurs sont poètes.
This explains his taste for abstract and good proportions. Here's the reason that lines and curves flow so elegantly, in his image. In order to get to know an artist, quoting his artistic encounters with others, throws a relevant light on the scene. Some affinities speak for themselves. First of all, Martha Pan, the brilliant French-Hungarian visual artist, whose famous “labyrinth” is the emblem of the Lycée Mme de Stael at Montluçon. This lady, within calmness and pure lines, designated Thierry Gonnin as her spiritual heir to promote this monumental art, so aerial and close to the public at the same time. His stainless steel sculptures project originates from this legacy. Purity lies within the heart of these monuments: one line suffices to express the essential of life, whether curling around itself in a feminine movement or upright in a more masculine act. Next Ralph Lauren, an American fashion designer with his good taste and flattering cuts. Thierry Gonnin prepared a “parade” of sculptures for his showroom in Paris, highlighting the new collection. The idea of a hieratic representation of man was already budding. It reaches a peak with the reinterpretation of Xian's army, those terra cotta soldiers of the first Chinese emperor Chin, changed into praetorian guards in their stainless steel armour. Finally, Clint Eastwood, the famous film maker,whose works are always tinted with modesty and turned towards metaphysics. For his film “Hereafter”, Thierry Gonnin made a stainless steel statue (visible in the scenes where the heroine goes to her editor). This sculpture takes up the “Icarus” principle, tubes stuck to tubes to give the idea of a take-off, but also pierced with openings,characterising introspection; an enlightening work of art concerning the film's question regarding the essence of existence. However, Thierry Gonnin's great encounter is with the public, often uninitiated, so even more exacting. Thus the inhabitants of Montluçon can appreciate his works of art at the “Cité administrative”, but above all in the new town centre, at Saint Jacques where “Nymphé-A, memorial of the iron foundries,flourishes near the river Cher. This monumental work of art, inaugurated in 2014, marks a turning point in the artist's career. The static lines of the first sculptures give way to undulating curves, the result of a new technical and aesthetic mastership. From a plant, wild grass, the artist derives a sketch, a lace-work of steel, covered with a fine coating of frost. One should not hesitate to take a close look at one's reflection in the deep sheen of this work. It's now time for one and all to visit Thierry Gonnin's works of art.
Ch Rouge (translated from French by J.Aujar & H.Hooton)
