This French artist's work comes into being through the use of white.

Using geometry he creates a timeless space through the association of shapes and a subtle collage of paint.

O. Mérijon sees his painting as a mirror, that of a fragmented world

which will only last by using its multitude of facets to piece oneself together.

His longs walks in Paris take him to his favourite haunts, the museums,

the banks of the Seine and its bouquinists. He enjoys shopping in the rue Lepic,

wandering in the sixth arrondissement to encounter his friend, the composer JB Loussier,

yet mysteriously he likes looking westwards

towards Versailles where, since 1980, he has had his studio, tucked away in a closed cobbled courtyard.

This is the place where light makes the ridges and grroves of his paintings vibrate.

The most recent Whites hang on the white-washed walls,

works of silence, a mirror to contemplate.

From May to July 2000, he held a widely-acclaimed exhibition, "idée croisée" at the "Musée de la Poste"

with his friend Jacques Perry, the author of "La vie d'un païen".

In 2001, the Whites were exhibited at the Contrescarpe in Paris.

On the immaculate white walls they looked like mirrors.

Among the paintings were "White 235f", a square format on canvas, "White 243", mixed media with collages,

but also " White, hommage à Parmentier " whose work was presented to him by the poet Jean Lalou.

A White must be approached with discernment, not only straight on but also from the side.

From there the subtle design can be seen, put into play by whites and greys

in an incredible harmony, brought into being by the paint itself which is filled with light.

Unlike a public, shared place, the studio reflects the need for the artist

to be alone with himself and to shut himself away from all possible disturbances.

"Every morning I go back to my Whites and my work has changed, silence has found its means of expression,

the light has made use of colour to become white.

It was when I started painting in white that I was asked

to give a conference on colour at la Trinité, in Paris!"

The artist, who can often be seen in the streets of Versailles, is consumed by his work,

if his work is going well, the artist is smiling, if not, his attitude translates his uncertainty,

As Henri Courseaux sang in his latest show,

"à la façon dont il passe on le sait dans le bonheur ou dans le drame".

His life as an artist has led him to meet poets, writers, composers.

"I like the art of writing, it corresponds to my desire for a harmonious space and resonance.

To read my friend Jean-Claude Brisville in "Le Souper"

is to reach the peak of writing at its most polished

and is also a reminder of his conversation with Camus who answered his question:

"Is it worth working the way we do?"

by saying "Do you really have the calling? If this is the case, you will have to bear this weight"

This leaning towards books has led the artist naturally towards illustration,

writing novels and book binding decoration .

His novel "4 fauteuils blancs", published by the poetry review Florilège

and the White bookbindings are the outcome of this work.

The White bookbinding of O. Mérijon's writing, created in close collaboration

with Jacqueline Poydenot, the bookbinder, was exhibited at

the "Bibliotheca Wittockiana", the book and bookbinding museum in Brussels in 2002.

O.Mérijon's style is not one of rupture in the modernist sense,

since his early works he has embraced a concept linked to memory.

Claude Gaspari, who he enjoys meeting,

often speaks to him of the whiteness which is exuded by "La Cité Idéale" in the Museum of Urbino in the Marches in Italy.

The world of art is an invitation,

O.Mérijon is compelled to make the spectator think,

he invites him to look, to finish the work, to explore and exploit this gift of freedom.