« Mes 9 Muses »
Surrealist works on paper, 2003

In 2003, Catherine de Saugy dedicated a series to « Les 9 Muses », tutelary figures of artistic creation. Part of her surrealist period, this suite pays homage to the power of myth and cultural memory by invoking the nine inspirers of Antiquity — Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia and Urania. The artist weaves a dialogue between symbolism and lyricism, where each muse becomes the allegory of a poetic field (history, music, tragedy, comedy, astronomy…), transposed into images through a personal surrealist language.

This series marks a decisive stage in her trajectory: after the grandeur of mural panoramas (1992–1996) and the archetypal intimacy of Mes Magiciennes (1999–2002), « Les 9 Muses » assert a more meditative and referential painting, attentive to the lineages linking visual arts, music, theatre, and literature. The pictorial space becomes a chamber of echoes: pared-down forms, signs, iconographic allusions, and tensions between shadow and light compose a sensitive field where inspiration appears both as subject and experience.

The mastery of contrasts, the subtlety of textures, and the chromatic balance lend these canvases a presence that is both restrained and intense. Viewers are invited to traverse a cartography of the imaginary, where the ancient myth becomes living, contemporary matter. Through « Les 9 Muses », Catherine de Saugy pursues her exploration of a poetic and introspective surrealism, connecting classical heritage with inner quest.

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