Page 12 - Valerie Lallican - Optical Art

Ce qui renvoie à la théorie de Maurice Merleau-Ponty selon laquelle : « Rien n’est plus
difficile que de savoir au juste ce que nous voyons (…) ».

Valérie Lallican’s paintings respond to psychological and functional dynamics which lie
between the retina which “perceives“ and the brain which “interprets“.

The composition multiplies the optical effects which vibrate on the surface of the eye with
what’s known as the persistence of vision.

These micro-jolts provoke changes in the geometric position of the outerzones of the
image which in turn produce repeated inversions of contrast that create spatial ambiguity

or the illusion of movement.

Through the manipulation of geometric designs, precise repetitive structures or the way in
which she puts patterns together, Valérie plays on our notion of volume.

She also creates dynamics by alternating warm and cold colours or applying polarities,
rendering the relief by juxtaposing intense colours or applying them in opposition in

chromatic counterpoint.

She provokes the notion of simultaneous perception in her placement of parallel lines or
shuffled variations of simple forms, obtaining irregular shifts in geometry by the concen-

tration or dissolving of stripes.
She activates vibrating, oscillating, and undulating effects according to the alignment of

the grids and ensued movement.

Today, her capacity to coordinate space and consolidate volume is virtually limitless.

The technical structures become alive through the eyes of the viewer, transmitting multi-
ple sensations such as exhilaration, slight dizziness, losing one’s bearings or producing a

change in posture. In a Valérie Lallican exhibition, even those who have no feeling for art