AB-64C-1964-006 — The Monster (II) (1964)

Technical information

Title : The Monster (II)
Date : 1964
Technique : Oil on paper
Dimensions : 65 × 50 cm
Location : Private collection *

Biographical / historical context

In The Monster (II), Breuillaud organises the image around a large, light-coloured presence whose structure sustains an ambiguity between face and organism. The composition presents neither a scene nor a narrative: its events take place within a single form, in the relationships between swellings, openings, lines and extensions of the contour.

Examination of the work by its owner confirms the medium as oil on paper and the dimensions as 65 × 50 cm. These findings change its comparison with The Monster (I), AB-64C-1964-005, an oil on paper measuring 32 × 25 cm. The two works share a support and similar vertical proportions, but not the same scale.

The larger format of The Monster (II) is a significant element in its own right. Its surface area is slightly more than four times that of The Monster (I). This difference proves neither that it was enlarged from the first work nor that the works followed a particular sequence; it does, however, require their compositional affinities to be distinguished from their actual physical presence before the viewer.

Formal / stylistic description

A large ivory-coloured form, tinged with ochre and green, occupies almost the entire pictorial field. The deep green background remains visible around it and in the spaces left by its extensions. Its contour, rounded in the upper section, narrows and spreads irregularly towards the bottom. On the left, a light-coloured appendage descends before bending; on the right, a shorter termination joins the main mass.

This envelope retains a strong unity despite the diversity of its internal regions. Broad pale areas alternate with grey-green passages and deeper shadows. Shifts in tonal value suggest swellings and depressions without constructing a stable anatomy.

Several openings punctuate the figure. They are not all treated in the same way: some have a light centre enclosed by a dark rim; others appear as small dark concentrations. A prominent opening to the left of centre is answered by smaller elements in the upper-right section and the lower register.

Their dispersal and differences in scale prevent them from being reduced to a simple pair of eyes. They may nevertheless contribute to a facial reading, particularly when related to the long central reliefs. The image thus oscillates between a metamorphosed head and a body in which certain regions retain the expressive function of a face.

A network of fine lines crosses the form. Light strokes, darker outlines and small loops connect the various zones or emphasise their boundaries. Their arrangement helps preserve continuity within the mass rather than dividing it into independent fragments.

The paint creates varied surface effects: diffuse passages, more opaque accents, incisive marks and visually irregular areas. The predominantly light appearance should not be confused with demonstrated material transparency. Equally, identifying the support as paper does not automatically justify attributing these effects to its absorbency or to any particular preparation.

The contrast with the background makes the central presence clearly perceptible. It would therefore be reductive to describe the work as a mere dissolution of form. The form stands out forcefully, while its identity remains uncertain. What is indeterminate is what it represents, not its cohesion within the image.

Comparative analysis / related works

The Monster (I) provides the principal comparison. Both works combine an isolated figure, a range of light ochre or greenish tones, and a dark background. They also share the importance of a linear network and the transformation of facial features into volumes.

Their difference lies not merely in a contrast between a warmer first figure and a paler second one. It also concerns the extension of the contour, the distribution of openings and the relationships between internal regions. The Monster (I) appears more strongly organised around a long central relief; The Monster (II) distributes attention among several areas and extends its silhouette more broadly.

The difference in format makes this comparison all the more significant. At 65 × 50 cm, The Monster (II) is not another small sheet equivalent to the first. At a comparable viewing distance, the size of the depicted volumes and the extent of the linear network establish a different relationship with the viewer's gaze. This difference of scale must be taken into account without attributing to it an intention of monumentality for which there is no documentary evidence.

The 1963 face, AB-63A-1963-008, offers an additional figurative point of reference. Its two eyes and nose clearly organise a distorted head. In The Monster (II), these points of reference are redistributed within a more extended presence: the distinction between head and body becomes less certain. The figure does not disappear; it changes to the point of allowing several readings at once.

The 1962 canvas, AB-62A-1962-004, helps illuminate the role of fine lines and variations in luminosity. Its yellow field, however, remains largely continuous and its signs are dispersed. Here, the contour and the dark background bring them together into an autonomous form.

The paper support shared by the two Monsters therefore connects them through more than their medium: it invites consideration of how Breuillaud develops a related vocabulary on different scales. This observation establishes neither a study-to-finished-work relationship, nor an original diptych, nor an order of execution.

Justification of dating and attribution

The date of 1964 is retained in accordance with the catalogue raisonné documentation. The information newly provided by the owner clarifies the support and dimensions, but does not in itself alter the chronology of the work.

The attribution to André Breuillaud rests on its identification in the collection documentation and on its formal correspondences with The Monster (I) and the related works of 1962 and 1963. These correspondences concern, in particular, the light-coloured volumes, the darkened openings and the network of internal lines.

Provenance / exhibitions / publications

Private collection *.

Medium and dimensions confirmed by the owner: oil on paper, 65 × 50 cm.