Frédéric Le Blay | Contemporary Artist: Artworks & Biography

Frédéric's passion for painting took shape around the age of fourteen when an artist friend introduced him to the Pont-Aven School. This introduction to 19th century Breton painting was his first visual "shock". He received his first brushes and his first painting, a bad copy in oil of Paul Gauguin (French painter, 19th century).To quench his thirst for knowledge, Frédéric set out to discover the great names in the history of art: Chardin (18th century), Henri Matisse (French painter, 19th-20th centuries), Pablo Picasso (Spanish painter, 20th century), Francis Bacon (Irish painter, 20th century)... Dreaming of following in the footsteps of these masters, he studied at the Beaux-arts de Lorient from 1983 to 1988. This period saw the birth of his first works. In 1990, he began a career as a computer graphic designer and taught painting. He opened his studio in 2000 and won several competitions. In 2005, he travelled to Japan as part of an exchange between Breton and Japanese painters on the island of Shikoku. The discovery of this country changed his life and his work. Frédéric lives and works in Hennebont in Morbihan and returns regularly to his host country. His artistic influences tend towards the art of Lucian Freud (English painter, XX-XXI centuries), Philippe Pasqua (French artist) and Yan Pei-Ming (Chinese painter). He combines acrylics with collage of various papers (newspaper, gift paper...) Frédéric gives an important place to color and drawing. His multicolored works reveal a benevolent cheerfulness. With his expressive portraits, he offers a theatrical and idealized vision of Japan. A colorful personal tribute to the land of the rising sun.