Discover the contemporary work of Stef

I dare say that at the very first glance, we know without a doubt that Delaprée’s work, this now widely celebrated Happy Painting which he created, bears the unmistakable signs by which we recognize this too rare, but highly prized quality: authentic and powerful art. We are particularly struck by the fact that his paintings are both carefully constructed, yet seemingly spontaneous; that they are both fragile and powerful; naive and learned. While they offer a very personal vision of the world, that vision also has a universal scope, as if while expressing his views, Delaprée had also managed, at the same time, to express our very own perspective. All painters know that there is more to a picture than what gets to the eye; and while staring at the paintings of flowers gathered here, I could not resist the thought that in the glistening of colours and profusion of forms one could also hear a simple but powerful message. My understanding is that the message is one of hope, a reminder of the pure beauty and fragility of the world. This message is infinitely valuable in the rather dark hours that are upon us. It is a very quiet voice, so you have to be careful to hear it. It is said that when we give flowers, there always remains some of their perfume in our hands. In the same fashion, looking at Delaprée’s flowers and listening to the story they are telling me, I could not help hearing my childhood’s friend laughter. Maybe you can hear it too. Its tenderness and blue color make it very recognizable. I feel confident that more and more human beings from Europe, Asia, America, and everywhere else will have the opportunity to see Delaprée’s work and to hear not only what his flowers have to say, but also his laugher that speaks to all of us since it is a part of all of us. This kind of magic by which one speaks of everyone while saying “I” has a name: art. Or poetry. At least that’s what one of the happy paintings you will meet soon said to me. Normand Baillargeon