Laurence de Marliave: an artist embodying tradition and modernity

04/07/2018

Here comes the second edition of the Exceptional Rendez-Vous, we have met our sparkling and creative partner: Laurence de Marliave. Great painter and genius teacher, she has been studying at the Penninghen School of graphical arts, she then remarkably graduated the Beaux Art of Paris, becoming a gifted and skilled painter. In an exclusive interview, we ask Laurence about her thrilling job and passion.

What is your creative process?

I draw and paint every day, like a pianist practices his fingering. When I walk in the streets or when I take the metro, I try to imagine how I would draw people and things which surround me.

I really give a great importance to real life drawing, I think that it is crucial to create in live. Whereas many artists take pictures of what they want to paint, I think that doing this takes away the spontaneity of the artwork. The emotions are less powerful, the representations are less authentic and the movements seem cold and inanimate.

I think that instead of using technologies, we have to trust our own memory and inspiration.

In my pictorial work, a few characteristics stand out. What I really enjoy is creating structures. In front of a white canvas, I love to organize the space. I am passionate by architecture. I keep asking myself this question: “How can I represent structure on a flat material?” This is quite challenging!

I also give a great importance to light, chiaroscuro is most of the time present in my works. I enjoy mixing colors, they create the light and they make the art piece seem alive.

 

Have you been influenced by any artists or art periods?

I am passionate about the great Dutch artists. I love Vermeer for the calm and serenity which come out of the interiors he painted. We can find a lot of windows in his paintings, he has the talent to fill his interiors with light.

My favorite work of Vermeer is the Geographer, the character looks at a world map. He is probably standing in a room in Holland and is dreaming about travelling.

Why did you decide to travel?

This time, I was influenced by Delacroix and his sketchbook. I had the opportunity to travel all around the world. I had the chance to visit many countries like China, Italy, Greece, Russia and this year to discover Iran.

The work of keeping a carnet de voyage requires capturing emotions and impressions of the moment that you are painting. It is real life painting, in front of the object or the subject. It is a way to get in contact with the inhabitants of the countries I visit. I am determined that art is a universal language.

From the moment I started painting on my sketchbook, children came around to see, mothers who looked for their children came too. At the end, it was the whole village which came together. Yes, art brings people together.

 

You spend your life painting and travelling, your life must be exciting?

We often have the image of the artist, standing alone in his studio, trying to find inspiration. I think that art is before anything else a transmission and a way to express ourselves. This is why I teach art. I try to communicate my passion to people. In the Atelier de l’Étoile, there are between seventy and ninety students coming per year. For them, art is a way to get away from their busy daily life. They take the time to breathe and to be creative. It is a great way to forget just for an hour everything which annoys you.

How would you describe your work?

My work? I would not say it is a work, I would call it a labor. It is hard. I constantly need to find inspiration, it is a work of perseverance. I is also out of the time since I do not see the time when I paint. It requires real commitment, I would say that it is a vocation.

It seems that in France, people are monomaniacs about conceptual art. I think that it is a shame that it is so much explored whereas there are so many different areas waiting to be discovered. I think that we need to go abroad in order to be more open-minded.

I think that I am both part of traditional and modern art. My aim is not to shock, I want to communicate beauty and emotions.

 

ArtLuxury offers you the great opportunity to spend some time with a genuine French artist. Have you always dreamed to capture Paris? ArtLuxuyry gives you the great opportunity to capture the city of lights…on a canva!

Here is our selection:

Meet a Parisian artist: this established painter and teacher will greet you in her studio near the Etoile and the Champs Elysées, 

Become an artist: Become an artist: penetrate an artist’s workshop and enter her universe to create your own work (which you may keep) in the manner of Van Gogh, Matisse, Bakusen and other major French and Dutch painters.

Artist in the making: this ludicrous and pedagogic approach will enable your children to leave with their own paintings and/or posters.

 

For more bespoke arrangements, contact us.