Paysages 1996-1998

This series of works is based on video studies of  the unusual and historic landscapes, which Simpson often visits in France. The Fontainebleau Forest near Paris has remained an obsessive subject for the artist since his 1995 visit there. He was attracted initially by the  strange rock formations which resemble animals like tortoises, seals, or  unidentified chimeras complete with scales and other natural features. However, it was the actual forest settings, made famous by 19th century artists, which made the strongest impression. 

A highly unusual tract of land, once the hunting ground of France's kings,  Fontainebleu is known as the home of the Barbizon painters such as  Millet, Diaz and Rousseau, and as the birthplace of Impressionism.  It  was here that Monet, Bazaille, Renoir, Signac and Cezanne did their canvases in plein air, bringing a new sense of colour and light to painting. It is an area full of painterly motifs where Simpson, primarily an abstract painter, found new inspiration for a landscape series.