Statement

Over time, we build layers of experience, knowledge, and insight into the human condition and ourselves.  For me, there is an ongoing dialogue between such layers; the thoughts and sentiments these layers generate are both an intellectual and aesthetic conversation.  I confront this in my art by unveiling various levels of conflict. Recognizing that cynicism offers no resolution to addressing these struggles, I nevertheless strive to create work that is demanding, pleasing, and continues the struggle for serenity.

Some tension or angst is included to retain honesty and avoid the decorative. This perspective stems from having experienced the largely black and white world of post-war Europe depicted in such movies as Truffaut’s "400 Blows" and Lamorisse’s "The Red Balloon, " both having filmed some parts in the Paris of my youth. In my mind, the only color in the latter film was the red balloon- the balloon's evasiveness and the boy's attempt to connect with it were part of its profundity.  Malle’s "Au Revoir les Enfants" precedes the time of these movies and my birth but touches on the subliminal levels of my conscience, recognizing the deep imprint of having parents who met in Auschwitz, survived the Nazi Death March, and left Europe for the technicolor of Los Angeles.

I don’t pretend to have answers. I seek different resolutions to the same questions: how do we maintain a critical dialogue regarding the human condition? How do we celebrate the best of humanity, nature, and life? What is the role of color? What is the role of black and white? Can abstraction cause us to reflect, ponder, and respond to the chaos, and to find the beauty that still survives – even if it is elusive?

Bio

“But for Auschwitz I would not be here. My parents met there. I was born in Paris, France after the war.” - Alain Rogier

Alain Rogier grew up in Paris and then relocated to Los Angeles. He served as a deputy city attorney for the City of Los Angeles before going into private practice focusing on family law. From the intimate psychologies of his clients’ stories to the drama of the trials, his entire professional life has provided him with a window into the human condition. 

Rogier’s perspectives on the darkness and enlightenment of life, gleaned from youth to adulthood, are at the core of his art – born from an ongoing internal dialogue that pits the ravages of history and mankind’s actions with a quest for serenity and beauty. His art is dedicated to the pursuit of a balance, with hopes to ultimately and ultimately find reasons to be optimistic in this world.

Rogier previously studied at Otis College of Art and Design, among other centers. It was here where he studied painting and collage with Laddie John Dill, Bonita Helmer, and Alexis Smith. His work has been shown in galleries and/or museums in Los Angeles; New York; Massachusetts; Kyoto, Japan; Paris, France; and Krakow, Poland.  He was the chief curator for Four Generations of Abstract Art in Los Angeles at the Glendale Brand in 2022. This particular exhibition featured abstract painters from Hans Burkhardt to active contemporary artists. He has also organized charity auctions for Ukraine and Israeli-Hamas victims and refugees.

He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, artist Sandra Lauterbach.