“A search for balance and harmony…”
Paul Zimmerman in conversation with Barbara Christol
Paul Zimmerman: How did you get interested in art?
Barbara Christol: Art has always been with me — like an inner language. As a child, I drew to understand the world. Later, through my studies at the Beaux-Arts de Nîmes and at La Sorbonne University in Paris, I discovered that art could connect forms, sensations, and ideas — a kind of sensitive geometry.
Paul Zimmerman: What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
Barbara Christol: Finding the balance between precision and freedom. My work is built on structured compositions, but I always seek to infuse them with breath, dream, and poetic vibration. This dialogue between control and surrender is demanding, yet essential.
Paul Zimmerman: What is your artistic process? How do you create your paintings?
Barbara Christol: I often begin with an intuition — a color, a shape, a sensation. Then comes the composition, which is highly constructed, almost architectural. I use mixed media, sometimes natural pigments, and allow the gesture to refine what the gaze is trying to express — a process that balances instinct and intention.
Paul Zimmerman: Do you have any particular goal in mind when your start a new piece?
Barbara Christol: I aim to create a space of resonance. Each piece is an attempt to capture a subtle emotion, an invisible presence. I’m not trying to illustrate, but to evoke — to open a door into the viewer’s imagination.
Paul Zimmerman: How do you know when the painting is finished?
Barbara Christol: It’s a matter of silence. When the work no longer asks for anything, when it breathes on its own, I know it’s ready to live.
Paul Zimmerman: Has your practice changed over time?
Barbara Christol: Yes, it has become more refined. Over time, I’ve learned to trust the essential — to leave more room for emptiness and intuition. My work has grown more meditative, more open.
Paul Zimmerman: Which artists are you most influenced by?
Barbara Christol: I’m inspired by artists like Agnes Martin, for her rigor and spirituality, Zao Wou-Ki, for his way of making space vibrate, and Kandinsky, for his exploration of abstraction and inner resonance. I also draw inspiration from poets, architects, and dancers — all those who work with rhythm, silence, and space. Music holds a central place in my life. Many of my works refer to it, echoing its structure, its emotional depth, and its invisible architecture.
Paul Zimmerman: How would you define yourself as an artist?
Barbara Christol: I would say I’m a seeker of sensitive forms. My work is both geometric and poetic — an attempt to connect the visible with the invisible. Painting allows me to express what cannot always be put into words, what is felt before it can be understood. It’s a silent yet vibrant language, one that conveys emotions, inner states, and intuitions beyond verbal expression. I approach my practice with humility — attentive to nuance, open to what emerges, and always guided by the belief that the work speaks in its own language.
Paul Zimmerman: What are you working on now?
Barbara Christol: II’m currently completing two series that echo one another. The first, Le Bleu est la couleur de mes rêves, is a body of paintings exploring the emotional and symbolic depth of the color blue. Through geometric compositions and subtle optical effects, I seek to create a dialogue between structure and fluidity — between what is seen and what is felt. The second, Filigrane, is a series of drawings on Arches paper using Chinese ink and embroidered thread. These works introduce a new kind of sensoriality — tactile, delicate, and meditative — where gesture becomes thread and vibration. Both series will be exhibited this autumn in Paris and at the LA Art Show in Los Angeles in January 2026. They form a visual and poetic conversation across mediums — inviting perception to slow down, and allowing nuance to emerge.
Paul Zimmerman: What is the main message of your work?
Barbara Christol: My work is a search for balance and harmony — between structure and breath, silence and vibration. I seek to create spaces of contemplation, to invite slowness and feeling. It’s about presence and connection — between self and world, between the tangible and the intangible. I propose visual universes where my gesture serves as a revealer — bringing forth emotion, rhythm, and the quiet resonance that lies beneath the surface.