Discover the contemporary work of Christian LABELLE

By Kelly Haddad – First Luxe Signature

" It’s Cholet ààgrave; the west of France, that the Viviane Henwood gallery opens its doors to us. Since 1988, it has presented paintings and sculptures by international contemporary artists. The opportunity to zoom in on Christian Labelle, painter.

“Hanging on nature corresponds with my philosophy”, tells us Christian Labelle, a hyperrealist painter who brilliantly develops a universe that flourishes around still life, prestigious wines and floral scents. Self-taught, he began his career. presented his paintings in the 80s and quickly felt called to work. by what would become his signature: “One day, I painted an ordinary wine bottle that I submitted to the artist. a sommelier. He recommended me to repeat for models of the great vintages: I followed this precious advice, opening up a new category of living art.

Fruits, pottery, flowers, books, the smallest details are described in detail. wonder reality things that surround us. He takes care of the flowers himself before painting them, thus transferring his love, straight from nature to nature. the Web. The nuances, transparencies, shadows and play of light allow the establishment of a secret dialogue between the artist and the painted object. He succeeds in transfer onto the canvas the sparkle of glass or the velvety texture of flower petals, in an astonishing way. Elegant and refined, Christian Labelle's technique makes his painting so realistic that it becomes disturbing. "

By Thibaud JOSSERT - Universe of arts 2011

The new month of Caesar is shaping up to be a beautiful month. There we will find with excitement the heart of summer, its perfumes and its flavors. As if to tempt us more than we already are. the thought of the summer period, Christian Labelle invites us to admire his work throughout the month of July.

A talented painter, Christian Labelle could be part of what, with hindsight, History will uneasily call the realism of the 21st century. His work is characterized by by his incredible aptitude for reproduce reality in its smallest details, veins of fruit ready to be eaten. burst into the shadows of the delicate folds of petals, the almost iridescent shine, so real that they seem unreal in their sumptuousness. There is no doubt that photography is losing its superb contemporary style!

à The new month of Caesar is shaping up to be a beautiful month. There we will find with excitement the heart of summer, its perfumes and its flavors. As if to tempt us more than we already are. your thoughts on the summer period, Christian Labelle invites us to admire his work throughout the month of July.

But the artist also proves to be ingenious in his compositions, in his staging: creator of still lifes, his way of creating them mixing the elements and associating them - or confronting them - with each other can only evoke the ancient masters of the genre, of the Renaissance and the Grand Siecle who had learned to juggle so wonderfully with shapes and symbols, combine impeccable aesthetics with modernity. pure intellectual concepts... This is how we approach things. dream of kitchens and living rooms with forgotten secrets while making us - very easily - caught up in a world of objects, however two-dimensional, with our only companions our abused senses to which, we suppose with a touch of concern, the painter addresses some mocking gesture, not without a touch of compassion for the primitive mechanisms of the human mind.

The artist also knows - and in a very surprising way - how to play with variations of hues to create atmospheres and change universes, change places and environments. 39; period, social environment and imagination. Brightness is never the same and always comes to rest on the subject of the painting with a disconcerting naturalness. The funds and backgrounds to be used they alone manage to achieve this. Arouse in the viewer memories of past sensations, experienced or imagined through reading or contemplation, already making a difference. penetrate into a very particular mental universe.

It has sometimes been said that the true artist is the one who knows how to make the veil separating reality so thin. of the dream that we come to hold them as one. Through the alliance of impeccable mastery and emotionality, that we don't expect, Christian Labelle knows how to achieve it.

What Antonio MALO International Art Critic thinks

PRESENTATION

I am very happy to be able to write some of my notes and reviews on the personality of the student. and on the excellent quality of the products. works by the French artist Christian LABELLE because his pictorial world confirms all his love for the beauties of nature and even for objects, worn by us in our daily experience .

Indeed, with great passion, joy and gratitude, he describes in the smallest details everything that attracts his attention.

We can note that the excellent results obtained are not due only to; its enviable technical and pictorial qualities, but even and above all at the same time. his ardent desire to penetrate into the intimate essence of the matter of the object represented, painted on the canvas, to be able to harvest the vital breath of the matter , he almost succeeded in give a true and clean breath of life.

In my opinion, it would be very simplistic to define the painting of Christian LABELLE linked to the movement of hyperrealism. To tell the truth, the artist has very personal symbols, codes and signs.

The representation of objects in its " still lifes " or " silent natures " as the late man preferred to call them. GIORGIO DE CHIRICO, seems to scrutinize and overlook the sensitive data, the visual appearance, to give life to a creature pulsating with life and expressive power. Extraordinary force of nature, narrator of colors, Christian LABELLE narrates, recounts the beauties of the world through his eyes. the light of his good taste, of his feelings, in his choice of objects for his compositions.

There is no doubt that his creative and expressive power comes from his constant and continuous search for ever new expressive models to better express the intensity of his work. of her sweet emotions in front of the phantasmagoric spectacle of nature, of the sweet perfume of flowers, of dear memories linked to old abandoned books, postponed to another place. light and immortalized forever by the artist's delicate brushstrokes.

It is surprising to note how Christian LABELLE succeeds in transfer onto the canvas the brilliant appearance of glass, crystal or the velvety petals of flowers.

We must admit that the descriptive character of his painting is transformed into a communication that releases pulsations, exquisitely, delightfully, internally as if the artist wanted to go beyond of reality itself to transfigure it by following a " imput " ideative and fantastic, to pick out the hidden nuances and secret breaths.

We must agree that his painting gently develops the encounter with nature, which conveys the beauty of nature. of everything that surrounds us.

The colors of Christian LABELLE are morbid, amalgamated by a light which is sometimes strong and investigative, formerly warm and diffuse, diffused to evoke silent interior atmospheres . The clear light, as we can see, discovers the reality of life. more hidden and sinks the spirit and the soul into the bowels of the earth. A journey of rare descriptive and expressive power, viatics which cannot be confused with a reality of its own. who flees rationality, who does not know principles and rules, but who is rather the domain of feeling.

Christian LABELLE's painting is vital, rich in momentum and well supported by a precise drawing and the images stand out with notable chromatic power, thanks to his personal, refined, elegant technique.

The artist expresses himself with his own poetic, very delicate, always supported by an extraordinary strength and spiritual richness to offer his own autonomy to his personality. all the painted, almost spicy creatures watched in the depth of their soul by the artist. The colors are strong, rich in vitality. expressive ability capable of developing, subsequently increasing the stage establishment of the representation of reality. objective.

We must agree that in his compositions we truly discover a transfigured world. through convinced, passionate and laborious participation, which highlights its human profile in all its amplitude and complexity.

I have to be sincere. I would have liked to cite, with great pleasure, all the very beautiful compositions of Christian LABELLE, but it is practically impossible for me and for this reason I will only cite a few of them, by chance , like: " PÉTRUS 2000 ", " NARCISSUS BOUQUET ", " STILL LIFE WITH STRAWBERRY BIRDS ", " STILL LIFE IN COMICS ", "BOUQUET OF IRIS", " CHERRIES AND GELANTINES ", " STILL LIFE WITH NUTS ", " MANDOLIN DOLL ", " TOMATOES, GARLIC, ONIONS ", " GLASSES, GRAPES, PETRUS, PEACH AND CORKSCREW " who has My judgment represents the most valid, most concrete testimony of his appreciable human qualities.

As we can see, shines his hymn to the beautiful things of nature, painted with particular care even in the details.

I want to emphasize that the artist Christian LABELLE takes care of the flowers himself before painting them, thus transferring his love, straight away, from nature to life. the canvas.

We must recognize that the artist possesses indisputable purely pictorial abilities. Indeed, he succeeds in obtain delicate nuances and velvety transparencies and we must admit that, deliciously, between the painted objects and the artist a secret dialogue is established, made of jets of light and shadows , low poetic transposition for the enchantment of the representation.

In my opinion, it seems appropriate to even highlight its ability to of synthesis in the choice of subject elements for his compositions.

Certainly his is art which leaves, posterity, valid testimonies of a reality in continuous technological transformation and tastes.
I am convinced that the painting of Christian LABELLE will never cease to amaze us because his emotional participation is truly extraordinary even though particularly valid are the techniques and the expressive models which he uses, independently of themselves. use old methods because, in any case, the results are always excellent.

AD MELIORA!!! With esteem.

Caivano, li 3/8/2006    

Antonio MALMO
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