Jean-Michel Cavalli

Jean-Michel Cavalli was born in 1964 in Béziers (Hérault). He works and lives in the South of France (Gard).

His meeting with a couple of collectors opened the doors of the most prestigious galleries (Bartoux, Marciano etc.). Referenced on the Akoun, his half abstract and half figurative writing propelled him on the professional artistic scene.

With the point of his knife, Jean-Michel Cavalli draws and marks the faraway and imaginary landscapes. It is a good success, time goes by and in 2013 a cancer makes him aware of the fragility and preciousness of life. This same life that led him to progressively change his career path.

Faithful to his knife, true companion of creation, he now creates canvases that involve childhood and characters. The colors come out, and humour is present. The freedom of the gesture, like an autobiography. Jean-Michel Cavalli painted a world in the colors of the poet that writes: "I am going to paint my life, so I will set on fire by adding many colors."

Jean-Michel paints with a knife and oil painting. On linen canvases he applies the first draft. Then he contours his character with a charcoal. He sometimes uses brushes to sketch the interior of his character.

All of his work is done with the help of a mirror placed behind his chevalet in order to take a global view of the artwork and to easel the right and the left brains. Indeed, everything that is on the left of the mirror is on the right of the canvas and everything that is on the right of the mirror is on the left of the canvas. Thus he obtains a composition and a perfect balance.

Projected paint on the canvas brings certain dynamism. By being a musician (battery) during his free time, Jean-Michel Cavalli considers that there is a similarity with his painting technique: time, bar, rigor and paradoxically the freedom of the gesture.