Times and places - Jean Dubuffet

A striking example of Jean Dubuffet's Hourloupe cycle, featuring his signature graphic style, bold outlines, and a fragmented, puzzle-like composition.

Jean Dubuffet created this work during his Hourloupe cycle, a period defined by a specific visual vocabulary of interlocking shapes and restricted colour palettes. The composition functions as a puzzle, where figures and abstract forms merge into a single, flattened plane. Dubuffet employs thick, black outlines to contain areas of red, blue, and white, creating a graphic quality that rejects traditional perspective.

The figures appear schematic, with simplified facial features and elongated limbs. They exist within a space that feels both crowded and disjointed. By segmenting the canvas into distinct zones, Dubuffet forces the viewer to navigate the image as a series of connected fragments rather than a unified scene. This approach reflects his interest in the raw, unrefined expression he termed Art Brut, which sought to bypass the conventions of academic training.

The use of primary colours, alongside black and white, creates a high-contrast visual experience. The lack of depth is intentional, as the artist prioritised the surface of the canvas over the illusion of three-dimensional space. This work demonstrates his ability to transform mundane subjects into a complex arrangement of signs and symbols. The repetitive nature of the patterns and the bold, assertive lines are characteristic of his output during the mid-1960s, a time when he moved away from the textured surfaces of his earlier paintings toward a more graphic, linear style. The work remains a clear example of his rejection of traditional aesthetic hierarchies, favouring a direct and immediate mode of communication through visual shorthand.