I Too Rising Hope — Acrylic on Canvas by Arnaud Quercy

About This Artwork

This acrylic on canvas offers a vibrant reinterpretation of Langston Hughes' poem "I, Too," filtered through the visual language of Joan Miró. Working in a variation spirit akin to musical variations, Arnaud Quercy translates Hughes' themes of hope, resilience, and inclusivity into bold geometric abstraction. The 50×70 cm canvas presents a rising figure that embodies progress and aspiration, drawing from Miró's 1947 "Femmes et oiseau dans la nuit" while establishing its own visual vocabulary.

Red-orange tones dominate the composition, occupying over a quarter of the surface in deep browns and burnt sienna passages that anchor the central figure. Cool steel gray and blue-green areas create substantial presence in the background, establishing a divided field of pale blue and muted gray. The warm-cool temperature contrast produces visual tension that mirrors the poem's themes of struggle and triumph. Orange accents in sandybrown and burlywood hues bring warmth to the mid-register, while small yellow touches provide sharp focal points within the geometric forms.

The composition features characteristic biomorphic shapes—circular forms with concentric rings suggesting eyes or celestial bodies, triangular elements in red and cream, and delicate black linear elements that trace connections across the surface. These lines represent, in Quercy's interpretation, the strength of the human spirit. The spatial organization balances weight between upper and lower registers, with the figure appearing to rise from a deep burgundy base toward the lighter upper zones.

As part of the Transcendence collection, this work addresses multifaceted themes of identity and potential. The painting bears the artist's signature at bottom left and includes certificate of authenticity #20231231-0083. Now held in a private collection in the USA.