Olivier LÉPRONT

Fascinated by the way the great masters illustrate insights related to theories of optics and refraction, Olivier Lépront draws his inspiration from the canvases of Pieter Claesz or Jean Siméon Chardin, where realism is pushed to its paroxysm and the trompe-l'oeil effects are reinforced by lyrical lighting.

The interplay of shadow and light as well as the brilliance of materials are at the heart of the painter's reflections: metallic down jackets, aluminum survival blankets, holographic plastic bags, or pearly seashells are thus elevated to the rank of icons in his imposing oil paintings on canvas.

These new everyday objects, depreciated for their superficiality, are also those of our consumerist society. Through a disturbing work of realism, Olivier Lépront manages to detect beauty in the midst of the useful and the futile, transforming contemporary vanities into odes to contemplation.

For the Private Choice 2024 edition, a new medium makes its entrance into Olivier Lépront's work: India ink. Giving a monochromatic character to his creations, it metamorphoses them into trompe-l'oeil, with the appearance of black and white photographs. This use of ink washes, in addition to offering a vintage character to his work, makes it possible to undermine the psychedelic aspect that the tires encountered at the seaside usually take on. The artist captures banal scenes of life, which he freezes in an indefinite environment. Here, the artist took as a model the beach toy sellers observed in Cefallu, in southern Italy.

Olivier Lépront also works on wooden supports, revealing the coat or even his grandfather's bathrobe. He reveals an iconography of absence and nostalgia: the garment placed carelessly on the floor, retains the imprint of the one who once wore it. Only the appearance of the floor, damaged by the passage of time, gives us clues about the location of the scene and its temporality. These are fragments of the family castle, around Bordeaux.

The artist adds symbolic elements: gendarmes recalling his childhood, insects with patterns evoking African masks... These details embody the concept of « memento mori », creating intimate and moving scenes. His work recalls a personal version of Van Gogh's Room in Arles, with its emblematic empty chair.