Christian Hévin

Christian grew up in the north of France and began drawing at an early age. At age 7 he produced his first ‘oil on canvas’ and dreamt of becoming a painter. As a teenager, a teacher noticed his talent and encouraged him to study drawing. This was a revelation for him, and on graduating from high school he joined the School of Fine Arts in Lille. He began his career with skills similar to painting: as an architectural draftsman, stage designer, graphic designer, and illustrator. In his free time he continued to create for his own pleasure.
During his professional experiences, certain encounters encouraged him: Jacques Carelman (illustrator of ‘Catalogue d’objets introuvables’) during joint theatre set projects, and Vera Molnar (Franco-Hungarian artist) during a digital image competition. Contact with them enriched his pictorial experience, guiding him towards surrealism and hyperrealism.
Christian’s sources of inspiration are diverse: nature, urban environments, images of magazines which he scans and transforms... Contemporary artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Pierre Soulages, Hans Hartung, Zao Wou-Ki and Chu Teh Chun also influence his art.
The artist uses oil paint (which he makes himself), epoxy or polyester resin, pigments and acrylics.
Today his style changes as if to escape the shackles of conventional forms. At times, within the borders of reality and abstraction, Christian opens new doors to a constantly changing painting, like unexpected revivals. Usually straightforward abstraction serves as staging for the light and invites the viewer to discover the invisible or merely suggested.
Christian wants his to show images through his works that are likely to create a certain sensability, emotions, reactions...