Featured Artists | ART MAG International #34
A sports educator and artistic gymnastics coach, Gil Loison spent years observing the human body in motion before making it the starting point of his artistic practice. In his vividly coloured compositions, dancers, golfers and athletes move through a world of lines and curves that extend their gestures. With his series Vibrations du mouvement (Vibrations of Movement), the artist develops a visual language in which the human figure and abstraction come together.
The Body as a Starting Point
For Gil Loison, everything begins with a posture, an attitude or a gesture. A dancer leaping forward, a golfer following through with a swing, a body suspended in action: each becomes the starting point for his compositions.
This fascination with movement has its roots in his professional background. As a sports educator and competitive artistic gymnastics coach, Gil Loison devoted part of his life to observing bodies, their balance and their movements.
An experience that now directly informs his perspective as a painter.
“I always start with the figure. The background comes afterwards,” he explains.
Yet representing movement does not simply mean reproducing an action. In his works, gestures extend beyond the silhouette and unfold across the pictorial space. Lines become trajectories, curves follow the body’s momentum, and colour contributes to the sensation of movement.
When Colour Extends the Gesture
With his series Vibrations du mouvement, Gil Loison has developed an instantly recognisable visual language.
Bold colours, striking contrasts and geometric forms create an environment in which the figure sometimes seems to merge with its surroundings. The human body remains present, but it is no longer the sole subject of the composition.
In La femme qui court sur la colline (The Woman Running on the Hill), the figure is set within a network of curves and colourful fragments. The viewer’s gaze moves between the silhouette, the lines and the various surfaces of the composition.
In L’éclat du souffle (The Burst of Breath), the dancer appears to draw the entire pictorial space into her movement. The surrounding curves are no longer merely decorative: they become an integral part of the work’s dynamic energy.
Movement thus becomes both a compositional principle and a subject of representation.
Collage as a Pictorial Medium
Collage also plays a central role in Gil Loison’s artistic practice. The artist collects discarded magazines, posters, newspapers and wallpaper.
Each fragment is selected for its colour before being incorporated into a preliminary drawing. The paper loses its original identity and becomes a pictorial material in its own right.
“I don’t make traditional collage. I make my drawing, then use only the colour of the paper. It’s a little like stained glass, but without the glass.”
This comparison offers an insight into his approach. The fragments are never used for their images or texts, but for their chromatic qualities.
As the pieces of paper come together, the collage gradually disappears into the composition, giving way to a unified surface where colours, shapes and lines contribute to a carefully constructed balance.
Behind the apparent spontaneity of these works lies a precise process of organisation and composition.
Between Figuration and Abstraction
One of the most compelling aspects of Gil Loison’s work is the tension between an immediately recognisable human figure and an environment that moves towards abstraction.
His figures never disappear entirely. Instead, they anchor a visual universe in which forms seem to follow their own trajectories.
The viewer first recognises a gesture, a posture or a silhouette before gradually discovering the relationships between colours and lines.
Through Vibrations du mouvement, Gil Loison continues an artistic exploration in which the body becomes the point of balance within an ever-changing composition.
Movement is no longer simply what the painting depicts. It becomes the very principle that structures it.
Discover how Gil Loison captures movement through collage and colour.
Explore his artistic journey and creative approach in ART MAG International #34, available in print and digital editions.
FAQ – Gil Loison
Gil Loison is an artist whose work explores the representation of movement through drawing, collage and colour. He has also worked as a sports educator and competitive artistic gymnastics coach.
What is the Vibrations du mouvement series?
Vibrations du mouvement (Vibrations of Movement) is a series of works in which Gil Loison depicts dancers and athletes, among other subjects. Their silhouettes are integrated into colourful geometric compositions that visually extend their gestures.
What techniques does Gil Loison use?
The artist primarily works with paper collage on leather. He selects fragments from magazines, newspapers, posters and wallpaper for their colours, incorporating them into his compositions.
Where can I discover Gil Loison’s work?
Gil Loison’s work is featured in ART MAG International #34, in the article Constructing Movement, accompanied by reproductions of his artworks.