AB-MP3-1960-001 — Chromatic Nebula (II) (1960)

Technical information

Title: Chromatic Nebula (II)
Date: 1960
Technique: Pastel
Dimensions: 50 × 65 cm
Location: Private collection*

Biographical / historical context

Dated 1960, this sheet belongs to a decidedly non-figurative phase of research, centred on the relationships between coloured masses and the circulation of light within the pastel medium.

The title “Chromatic Nebula (II)”—indicating a second version—suggests an exploration of variations: layers, halos and zones of density that evoke a space without any perspectival anchor, more atmospheric than descriptive.

Formal / stylistic description

The composition unfolds across a warm ground dominated by ochres, oranges and reds, applied in rubbed layers that allow the grain of the support to remain visible.

At the centre, an aggregate of rounded and angular forms interlocks like an assembly of fragments: milky flat areas, golden-yellow touches, green passages and muted blues respond to one another through warm–cool contrasts.

The contours, often reinforced with darker pastel, structure the composition without completely enclosing the volumes. Softened areas create mist-like transitions, while certain more saturated accents—particularly blues and greens—catch the eye and rhythmically animate the surface.

The absence of a horizon and the all-over distribution of intensities reinforce the impression of nebulosity: a field of colour rather than a motif.

Comparative analysis / related works

Through its construction of interlocking fields, blended passages and vibrating surface, the work is closely related to tendencies within lyrical abstraction of the 1950s and 1960s, where form emerges from the encounter between gesture, material and light.

The alternation of luminous zones (whites and yellows) with darker counterpoints (blues and blacks) suggests a search for depth through tonal value rather than perspective, a frequent characteristic of pastel studies intended to test chromatic balances rapidly and directly.

Justification of dating and attribution

An inscription reading “60” appears at the lower left, consistent with the proposed date of 1960.

The signature “Breuillaud” is visible at the lower right, executed in a dark medium and confirming the attribution.

The coherence between these autograph elements and the handling of the work—characteristic layers, rubbings, blended passages and reworked contours typical of pastel—supports both the attribution and the proposed dating.

Provenance / exhibitions / publications

Private collection*