La DAME de COEUR
Work on canvas 1994
La DAME de CARREAU
Work on canvas 1994
La REINE de PIQUE
Work on canvas 1994
LE ROI de PIQUE
Work on canvas 1994
LE ROI de PIQUE
Work on canvas 1994
Between symbolic play and archetypal figures: Catherine de Saugy’s surrealist canvases
Three Queens for a King! (1994)
In 1994, Catherine de Saugy created the pictorial series Trois Dames pour un Roi !, a work in which the card game becomes a symbolic metaphor for love and desire. This period marks a key step in her transition from monumental panoramas to a more narrative, intimate visual language. The artist stages three female figures—the Queen of Hearts (tender and wise), the Queen of Diamonds (frivolous and coquettish), and the Queen of Spades (enterprising and possessive)—who challenge the King of Spades, an authoritarian, self-centered figure for whom “all the cards are equal” when faced with their singularity. The scenario becomes an allegory of desire and competition, infusing Saugy’s surrealism with a playful, emotional, and symbolic dimension.
The work stands out for its visual narration, in which each character embodies a way of loving and where power, choice, and freedom intertwine in a subtly orchestrated game. Through its theatrical approach, this series heralds a new artistic direction: capturing psychological and emotional dynamics staged through the artist’s gaze.
scherzo
Catherine de Saugy’ work is a fascinating combination of realism and fantasy, technically of the highest quality.
Dr. Carol Damian
curator – art criticc