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 Pascal LADEVEZE |
| Born in Paris, raised in Provence, brought to the Indian Ocean... |
| Pascal Ladeveze was born January 7, 1959 in Paris. At the age of four he moved with his parents to live amid the beautiful landscapes of Provence that have been inspiring artists for generations. But, Ladeveze's inspiration came mostly from his grandfather, Gaston Laborde, who had been in his time, a well-known painter at a school in Normandy. It was Gaston's influence that fixed the warm, bright and colorful environment of the Nice region into the young Pascal's mind. However, it wasn't until Ladeveze reached the age of forty, that he grew serious about his painting. After much travel and a variety of careers, Ladeveze decided that he needed to make a positive change in his life. He spends most of his time between his native Provence and the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean, where he ardently pursues his painting career. The symmetry he achieves with geometric shapes provides a calmness to contrast the vibrating palette of colors. This serves to make the paintings pleasing to the eye. Whether it be a view of the ocean through a cottage window or cresting a hill to reveal a quaint village below, Ladeveze's colorful images draw you back to his childhood surroundings and allow us to share that childlike wonderment with which he beheld his grandfather's paintings. Ladeveze's keen eye and love for his home country is clearly portrayed in his excitingly unique style. By painting the Provence of his childhood, he finds, in the light of the Indian Ocean, a new source of inspiration, which depicts the vibrant life and scenes that make up Reunion Island. Ladeveze's style is greatly inspired by the impressionist movement but his paintings have their own modern twist with his rectangular brushstrokes and his use of bright primary colors. His style may bring to mind Van Gogh through his use of thick, bold brushstrokes, his bright colors perhaps Cezanne's palette. Yet Ladeveze uses high realism and sharp detail to capture the ambience of Southern France in his own unique way. |
