Inspired by the evocative words of Henri Michaux, Hantaï embarks on a visual quest that delves into the intricacies of creation, exploring the very foundations of life through a singular artistic approach. Each canvas in the series presents itself as an abstract landscape, where organic forms emerge from multiple folds and layered colors. Like a painterly alchemist, Hantaï manipulates matter to create compositions where voids and solids blend into a complex harmony, evoking the dynamics of artistic gestation. Each fold, each layer of paint seems to reflect a stage of development, a step in the creative process, thus suggesting the evolutionary progression of form and color. The analogy with the matrix cell, the starting point of all life, reinforces the idea of an artistic genesis in perpetual evolution. Like dividing cells, Hantaï's "Panses" seem to multiply, metamorphose, thus revealing the richness and complexity of creation. Each work then becomes a testament to a moment frozen in time, capturing the artist's creative momentum and transforming it into an immutable work of art.

Over the years, the series of 'Panses' reveals the evolution of an aesthetic unique to Hantaï. Gradually, the white of the canvas invades the space, thus marking a break with the dense and colorful forms of the beginnings. This trend towards simplicity seems to testify to a desire to return to the very essence of creation, while retaining the richness and complexity inherent in each fold, each layer of paint. Thus, the series of "Panses" becomes a reflection of an artistic exploration in perpetual mutation, where color, form, and the creative process blend into a visually evolving symphony."