My encounter with Chinese ink painting
It was about forty years ago that, during a symposium, I met the Chinese painter, Master Tang, who was making an ink demonstration. I was very impressed by his skill, the accuracy of his observations and the strength of his actions. This event ignited a spark that has never disappear, and became the starting point of my practice and exploration of this art.
During this short relationship, and contrary to traditional teaching methods, Master Tang invited me to reproduce works of great masters, and to be impregnated by the spirit of their paintings. I followed his advice for many years, in daily practive and always looking for the best models of Masters.
10 years later, encouraged by the Japanese artist Hachiro Kanno who I met in Paris, I transcribed the philosophy and practice of painting of this art in the book '' The Spirit of Gesture '(Editions du Chêne).
My first trip to China took place in 2005 with a group of painters from Switzerland and their Chinese teacher Sabrina YAN. It was during this magnificent trip that I met for the first time in the Yellow Mountains (Huangshan) an exceptional Chinese teacher LI Xiang Hong with whom we spent several days.
Back in France, I wanted to meet LI Xiang Hong again and despite his po^pularity and his painting lessons on Chinese television, he agreed to support me in my artistic endeavor.
Every year since then I travel with him through different landscapes of China. I thus perfect techniques, gestures, angles and ink application, knowledge I can not find in any book but I was able to integrate during my experiences when working directly from nature staying with LI Xiang Hong.
This is how I also pass on to my students everything I have learnt from LI Xiang Hong.
I exhibited in various cities in France, in Italy, in Singapore, in USA and in China.
During a trip in Beijing in 2012 and a visit to the famous Gallery Rong Bao Zhai, I presented my catalog of paintings to the director of the gallery Mr SONG who fell in love with my paintings and immediately organizes the exhibition for may 2013.
This is how I was the first Western painter of tch’an art to exhibit 50 works in the famous national Gallery Rong Bao Zhai established in Beijing since 1672.
In 2014, thanks to my friend and teacher WANG YI, Ialso had the honor of being invited to exhibit at the Hanhouse Museum of the Academy of Fine Arts in Hangzhou, on 400 m2. mY paintings were highly appreciated by numerous professional artists, teachers and students of the Academy.
Li Xiang Hong's testimonies:
" Your ceaseless passion and your firm courage led to you to surmount many difficulties during the apprenticeship, but your results arouse our great admiration"
" It is difficult to understand the main part of this former art if we do not know well the Chinese culture. But you, after several journeys in China and after numerous communications with Chinese painters, you get with intelligence the "Tao" of the chinese painting".
