Throughout art’s history, the nude body has always been a widely explored subject. In a general manner, it is safe to say that these works tended to glorify the body. Whether it be Ingre’s Odalisques or Jacques Louis David’s Greek heroes, the body in art has been idealized. Through the use of light, shadow and colour, by accentuating curves and defining muscles, for centuries now artists have been creating desirable bodies for all the world to admire.
Daniel Poirier paints nudes. More specifically he paints expressive female nudes. What makes his work stand out is the way in which he makes his painted beings desirable: by the invoking the sense of touch. Of all the senses, touch is undeniably the one which is most closely affiliated with human flesh. In these works, Poirier has almost literally made these bodies tangible. Through the use of collage and textured canvases, his surfaces take on a literal materiality. Furthermore, Poirier also fills his canvases with elements which suggest tactility. Flowers, foliage, birds, and tapestries pervade the space of the canvas so that the viewer makes a connection between these palpable elements and the female figures in his paintings. In Poirier’s world, the senses transcend their limitations as sight and touch unite. In his world, the body is not only desirable it is carnal.
