Philippe Pasqua (French, b.1965) is a self-taught painter and
sculptor with a penchant for capturing the fleeting nature of mortal
existence. He was born in Grasse, France.
The artist paints nudes and
facial portraits, and he also creates sculptures using materials such as
human skulls and dried butterflies. All of his works tend to highlight
the ugliness behind beauty, the profanity in the midst of reverence, and
the eventual helplessness of the powerful. This motivation accounts for
his selection of subjects. Disabled individuals, Down's syndrome
sufferers, and transsexual candidates prepped for surgery all find their
way to Pasqua's canvasses.
(Sourced from here)
Given his frantic brushstroke style and preference for black and blue
shades, the artist’s portrait subjects can look as though they have been
beaten, though Pasqua leaves the viewers to form their own
interpretations. Clementine is one such example of this
portrayal.
Likewise, Pasqua represents animals in a solitary setting, as
though abandoned, exemplified by his 2009 oil painting entitled Purdey.
Also an accomplished pencil drawer, Pasqua focuses primarily on faces:
some disturbed, others depressed, and still others frightened. Laura
is a drawing of a mentally handicapped woman who—as the artist's
website suggests—Pasqua may have known personally. The artist’s interest
in skulls is manifest in his sculpted works. Whether gilding them with
gold or tattooing them, Pasqua makes human destiny clear to all who will
look upon his skulls.
Although he did not intentionally plan to follow an artistic tradition,
Pasqua is said to be firmly planted in Vanitas. This artistic movement,
represented by Damien Hirst (British, b.1965), stresses emptiness and
the shallow, temporary nature of life's pleasures. Since 1990, Pasqua
has exhibited his works all over the world. Beginning with the Maison
des arts de Beausset in France, his art has travelled to Paris,
Barcelona, Brussels, and Hamburg. In February 2012, Pasqua brought his
skulls, comprising his Vanities series, to London's Opera
Gallery.
Lucian Freud (British, 1922–2011) once said, "The role of the
artist is to disturb the human being." Critical acclaim suggests that
Pasqua fills that role adequately. His representatives include Patrick
Painter, Inc. of Santa Monica, CA. Pasqua lives in a suburb of Paris. [Originated from here.]
X-Power Gallery, Taipei [寶勝畫廊, 台北]
