Raymond Grandjean (1929-2006): Purple And Blue Hourglass

Signed lower left. Framed. Watercolor on paper.
“Sablier mauve et bleu” is a watercolor on paper by Raymond Grandjean, distinguished by its geometric, minimalist composition. The work presents a series of stylized hourglasses, arranged in regular rows and rendered in soft shades of mauve, blue, beige, and black. A large blue circle hovers above the arrangement, suggesting perhaps a celestial body or a symbol of time. Small colored dots scattered among the hourglasses provide a subtle contrast and set a gentle rhythm for the viewer’s eye.
This watercolor exemplifies a poetic form of abstraction, in which the hourglass—an age‑old symbol of time’s passage—is expressed with remarkable restraint. The medium’s transparency reinforces the lightness and delicacy of the piece. Pastel hues combined with the rigor of geometric outlines create a contemplative, hushed atmosphere. In this way, Grandjean invites the observer into a meditation on time, balance, and harmony, while leaving ample space for the imagination through the evocative simplicity of his shapes.

Grandjean contributed to group exhibitions including the Paris Biennale in 1961 and Fifty Years of Collages in 1964 at the Musée de St-Étienne and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. From 1955, Grandjean presented personal exhibitions in Paris and Lyon. His formally abstract painting with a geometric tendency is more a vision of a city, its balance and its perspectives, than a description.