The group exhibition 'To Paint Is To Love Again' at Crèvecoeur gallery in Paris explores the theme of artistic freedom, play, and a childlike approach to creation. The article examines this through the lens of Henry Miller's writings on painting, the influence of Jean Dubuffet's Art Brut, and the practices of contemporary artists Whitney Clafin, Sadie Benning, and Françoise Lapeyre, who incorporate found objects, toys, and a 'Sunday painter' ethos into their work.
The exhibition matters as it highlights a persistent and vital counter-current in art that values intuition, sincerity, and joy over technical mastery and academic rigor. It connects historical figures like Miller and Dubuffet to living artists, suggesting that the pursuit of a direct, unencumbered creative process remains a powerful and relevant artistic stance, challenging conventional definitions of skill and professionalism in the art world.