Abstractionism as a Phenomenological Reduction: War Experience in Guy de Montlaur’s Paintings

Résumé En

The paper suggests a reflection on how the Abstract Art could be comprehended from the philosophical point of view. It discusses two major phenomenological reductions which take place, respectively, in Expressionism and Abstractionism. The first one (‘psychological-phenomenological’) is related to the shift from the mimetic mode of depiction of reality towards an attempt of representing, concomitantly, the associated inner psychic phenomena of the perceiving individual. The second one (‘transcendental-phenomenological’) operates a non-figurative – ‘subjectless’ – ultimate universalization of the inner psychic phenomena, what leads to a definite rapture with the underlying referential reality.These considerations are developed on the example of Guy de Montlaur’s (1918-1977) artwork. French expressionist and abstractionist painter, participant to the French Resistance, and Normandy Landings of 1944 in particular, he underwent several stylistic chronologically subsequent periods, from realistic manner to expressionism through cubism, geometric and lyrical abstraction, searching for appropriate ways of assimilating his existential war experience by means of artistic creation.The comparative study of his paintings and those of abstractionist and expressionist painters of his generation gives ground to consider his artwork as a kind of a ‘mirror’ for the destinies of world abstractionist and expressionist movements in the XXth century art history.