“...I have learnt a lot - from the paintings I have never painted...“ Although this statement maybe somewhat irritating initially, it is more than descriptive of Bernard Fontanges, the French painter who interprets painting as an exploratory art. Bernard Fontanges studied Painting and Fine Art in Paris. And as one can imagine with such a statement, he approaches his metier with complete intensity. Continously at odds with his environment, he put painting aside, only to realize he could not live without it. One could say he became a victim of the visual power of television - the medium which he has so criticized as manipulative, but which also has created a clear relationship between himself and his paintings. As a specialist in large scale studio design and film production - both requiring great artistic ability - he turned to art direction. And again using colour and brushwork he created paintings and highly praised copies of Old Masterworks for the viewing public. But twenty years of film and the medium of subtle influence have weighed heavily on Bernard Fontanges’ soul. As a result he began with this present series of works „The Charming Seduction“. Viewing this series one can recognize the combining of soul and intellect, and the complete mastery of his craft. Fontanges rediscovered his own complex contemporary painting through the Old Masters. His paintings tell a story. A story - as each can discover for himself - having two aspects. They deal with good and evil, freedom and suppression, friendship and animosity,... - but never with indifference. The paintings fluctuate within two levels, both interdependent on eachother. The first level - the foreground - is dominated by the tangible, the figurative. The second level is the background - subtle, representing thoughts and feelings. The seductive aspects of each situation combine to create the story. But a complete and valid story can never develop. It is halted by a growth, a fungus, eroding time and value, and changing the original form into something new and re-definable..