C Major - Variations 21 — Acrylic on Paper by Arnaud Quercy

About This Artwork

This painting translates a piano étude into color. Arnaud Quercy maps the C Major triad — notes C1, C2, Eb3, G3, and E5 — onto a visual field, using the cycle of fifths as a structural guide. The work belongs to the C Major series within the Harmonic Crossing collection, which explores how harmonic relationships from piano studies can be expressed through color organization rather than sound.

Warm yellow-orange tones fill the largest areas of the composition, establishing the overall ground. Red moves toward black across the upper register, while yellow shifts toward yellow-orange and red-orange in the lower zones. These transitions carry the harmonic logic of the triad directly into color temperature and value. A grayish purple occupies a contained area, providing contrast against the warmer tones. Deep red and russet appear throughout the mid-range zones, connecting the warm ground to the darker passages. Small accents of deep orange-brown and very dark red punctuate the surface, adding chromatic intensity at specific points. The paint is acrylic on paper, applied with visible directional marks that reinforce the geometric structure of the forms.

The work measures 21 × 21 cm and weighs 0.1 kg. It was created on October 2, 2026, at the Rue du Dragon studio in Paris. It carries certificate number 20261002-0183. The painting was first shown publicly at Les Portes du Dragon, the open studio event at Art Quam Anima, Paris, from October 2 to 4, 2026. It is currently available.