Page 47 - Studio International - November 1965

Painting

Pamtmg 1965
that of the Ossuaries he passed two years ago from
spatial fragility and lightness to denser structures full of
dull reverberations and veiled sounds; his recent
exhibition, held a few months ago at the Galerie Arnaud
which has remained faithful to him for more than ten
years now, revealed a new enthusiasm, a succession of
questions, impulses or deeper, more anguished emo­
tions where we see empty eye sockets. hinting at great
suffering, shot through with blood in the depths of
night. There is a strange obsession with the circle,
whether it be the sun, the eye or a spherical joint, in
recent works by Fichet.
Conscious of the opposing forces within him, follow­
ing a vow of purity in order to overcome temptation, he
is constantly at odds with his own personality as he pur­
sues his search for further knowledge of the deity. The
conflict between serenity and violence is not an
aesthetic pretext in Fichet's case; it is rather an attempt
to reconcile opposites through patiently defined
symbols which are of the very essence of the man.
A solitary, withdrawn person, Fichet is also passion­
ately concerned with mechanical problems of motor
vehicles; no doubt this is further proof of his attachment
to reality viewed from an innermost standpoint. This
painter who cuts across artistic experience as a car
rushes through the country opens up a new path to that
mysterious power which is called ·sacred art'. ■
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