/
1
2
3
·
·
·
Work: The Station acrylic on canvas; 10 x 3 metres (5 panels)
Location: Ticket Office/Waiting Room, Argentan Railway Station, Normandy, France
Client: Socété Nationale des Chemins de Fer (SNCF; France National Rail Authority) and Région Basse-Normandie (Regional Government)
Year: 2008
This public commission pays homage to three French artists. Andre Mare and Fernand Léger, both internationally renowned painters, were born in the town of Argentan. Jacques Tati, the iconic French filmmaker, filmed the opening scene of his classic silent comedy Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (Mr Hulot’s Holiday, 1953) on location at this station. The Client requested a feature to decorate this high-traffic area for those who regularly travel between Paris and this regional centre. Léger’s bold geometry and colour palette are clearly at play, as the expressive linework evokes the busy, bustling scene of Tati’s film. Each of the three artists are also physically represented in the painting, interacting amongst a host of other characters who represent the diversity of interests and occupations in the community.