The bird is a recurring motif in Braque's work. His birds are never depicted realistically, yet their very simplicity lends his pieces a pared-back elegance. The motif appears in his work from 1929 onward, and he would paint it until his death in 1963.
The artist sought to free himself from reality. The fresco is in three parts, with the largest at the center: two birds entwined against a midnight-blue sky, lit by the moon and two stars. The moon recalls the emblem of Henri II. On the two other circular panels, two further pairs of birds appear. The deep blue, dominant across all three sections of this monumental work, gives the whole a sense of serenity. The white shapes of the birds evoke doves, symbols of peace, while their imposing size conveys a feeling of freedom and fullness.
By choosing not to render the birds realistically, Braque created a magnificent expanse of flat color that contrasts completely with the ceiling's ornamentation. The golden tone of the paneling marries perfectly with the deep blue, giving the painting an almost hypnotic quality.
The work had to be grand in order to blend with the sixteenth-century ceiling paneling. The result is a strikingly unusual ceiling, a masterful blend of contemporary art and the Renaissance that rewards every visitor who pauses to look up.
