The artistic stance of Nathanaël Gourdin already begins to emerge in the course of his studies at the École Régionale des Beaux-Arts de Saint-Étienne (now École Supérieure d’Art et Design de Saint-Étienne).
 
Fascinated by the energy of colour(s), he begins to develop a great passion for Expressionism, increasingly in its abstract forms. The primary focus here is upon the sensory perception and experience of the artistic subject.
In this respect, the concentration on principles of presentation beyond the figurative takes centre stage in the contemplation of the visual motif. Here the formal reduction becomes the means of concentration, to reduce the narrative level as far as possible in favour of an end of the form in itself. The resultant motif or creative form stands consciously for itself, to address the visual sense of the observer, directly, honestly, originally, without past.
 
The formal world of his visualisations plays consciously with the optical vibration perceived between two and three dimensionality. This visual appeal forms one of the key aspects of the work of Nathanaël Gourdin, a trained (furniture) designer. The clear question here is how images are pictured as objects and how objects become visualised. The subsequent question is that of the status of the artwork, the object. How much space does the form require? How does it occupy the space? How much space does it create (around itself)?
 
Within this context there is a particular focus on dynamics. How does the form stand in relation to the observer? How does it interact visually or spatially with the observer? How active is the form? What order system results in its movement or the movement of the observer?
 
From the beginning onwards, this dialogue between art, design and the questioning of the object in general marks the focus upon construction, design and experience as a modest, central human activity and experience.