Art Militant: Marie Chloè-Duval On a Society in Transition at the New York Studio School

The New York Studio School recently capped off the spring semester with their annual MFA Thesis Exhibition showcasing the selective group of artists who have completed their academic and artistic journeys through a formidable program consisting two years of full-time studio practice, lectures, painting, sculpture, drawing, seminars and a Critical Studies program that provides each student with the essential references to compose the language to support their final thesis project. Every year, the institution transforms its first two floors of the Historic Greenwich Village facility into immersive gallery spaces to present the compelling survey of new work that speaks to the rigor, ambition, and depth cultivated within the program. For this week’s edition of Art Militant we focus on the evolution of thought behind international painter and recent graduate of The School, Marie Chloè-Duval’s oil paintings.

Highly informed by an educational background in sociology and criminology, Duval’s work uses visual language as a form of analysis exposing the tensions between order, containment and improvisation. With a layered process that flirts with both abstraction and figuration, Marie is able to journey through a world of contrast, rhythm and materiality to make what’s invisible visible, untying the systems and processes in place that obstruct peace and togetherness through color. The artist’s conversation challenges institutional social norms, invisible codes and collective conditioning shape our physical and psychological environment.

Ultimately, her work questions how we function together as a society, how systems influence our perception of each other, and how these frameworks can be reimagined with care and curiosity. “Urban relics, organic forms, and abstract patterns serve as metaphors for modern existence, inviting reflection on our fast-paced, hyper-individualized world. Marie’s style ranges from figurative works like "Overthink, Waterflow No. 3" to scenic displays of contrast and emotion seen in “Human Jungle No. 6”.

The artist shifted her focus during the MFA program by exploring different perspectives outside of figures such as space, environment and atmosphere. Through her evolved practice, we are still able to make a human connection between the viewer and subject through the remnants of life seen in “A Human Evidence” where the subject is no longer present yet their existence is portrayed through a bouquet of roses left behind in an empty room. Duval’s use of objects, obstacles, passageways and items of function helps liaise the disposition of the human isolated and seeking connection with the world outside of themself.

Duval is more definitive about her approach and practice in a statement about the recently completed Thesis series, where she lays out her intentions and purpose behind the work. “My oil paintings explore societal constructs, balancing isolation, individualism, and the tension between decay and resilience. Rooted in criminology and sociology, my work examines the structures that define and confine us, revealing the clash between collective identity and autonomy. Blending figuration and abstraction, I depict fragmented figures and symbols of a society in flux. Weathered textures and muted tones evoke decay, while luminous colors and organic shapes suggest hope.”