Born in 1926 and coming of age mid-century, the artist Jean-Paul Proix adopted the Abstract Expressionism and pop-influenced tropes of his time. But in the 1980s, Proix grew interested in the figurative: landscapes, still life, and nature morte. As the century turned, however, Proix returned to his roots in abstraction. He says he paints as he breathes—“quietly, serenely, voluptuously.” Proix’s animated shapes flow in and out of each other in a signature style. —E.C.