new vigour constrains the fluid graphic work and it is helped by the contrasts of the colours that are carefully ordered, with a sort of humour, dark, but always enlivening." Robert Vrinat, in Nouveaux Jours: "The galerie Editions Rolf Lutz, 15bis quai Voltaire is presenting the recent works of Montlaur, who is rarely seen. Thus each exhibition shows a distinct step in his artistic journey. He remains faithful to his original nature, but moves forwards in the search for expression that is both lyrical and technical and which requires above all faith in the subject matter, the song of colours, the movement of the forms created by the gesture and touch. What remains is a quality of structure and of life without which nothing could be said of the essence of his deep meditation. Silvagni, who wrote his preface, advises us that his painting is born from a meditation on death, and also of the revolt of man. In the execution of the work, in parallel to the development of each painting, appears in the spirit of the painter, a psychic equivalent, a state of mind which dictates to him the title of the work (The battle of Jacob and the angel, Death of a poet, O my love, Reminescere etc.). Large movements contrasted with red, white etched with black (for example) are a searing explosion on a rhythm of composition without weakness. With this in mind, and with this talent, the abstraction is no longer a part or aspect of the painting, to contain it entirely with its qualities, its efficiencies, its captivation." His last years In 1974, Montlaur purchased a property near Lisieux, in Normandy, according to him, to get closer to the region that had so affected him since 1944. He spent his last years between Paris and Normandy dedicated entirely to his painting. "I want to shout: ‘Just look! Look at this mystery! It pierces the eyes!’ And nobody sees it. Nobody but me. People see colours, shadows, lights, forms. They see (but what do I know what they really see?) the canvas, the stretcher nails. And I don't understand why they can't guess at all the distress here, right in front of them, as it was during the war: the noise, death, love, betrayal; the lies, and the fear. And still more that I cannot say, but I know how to do it. Yes I