Introspection, 2021
Julien Cortade

Born in Marseille in 1990, Julien Cortade spent his youth between Provence and the Alps. Drawing inspiration from the surrounding nature and fascinated by the landscapes that surround him, he quickly developed a passion for drawing and painting. From childhood, he devoured comics and weaved his own stories from the images he saw without even reading the stories. Thus revealing his attraction to creation and visual interpretation which has accompanied him throughout his journey. He continued to nourish his passion as an autodidact when he discovered graffiti during his adolescence.

Julien Cortade likes to disturb, to offer a new perspective. Not wanting to get stuck in an overly recurring pattern, he sometimes goes over all the canvases in his studio to write a new story. True to his style, he prefers to paint in an unconventional way and only makes unique pieces. Julien Cortade confides to us: « I am unable to redo one of my paintings, I no longer remember it ».

Which makes his work authentic and rare. « When I start a painting, there is a lot of chance. I don't know in advance what I'm going to do or I have a vague idea. I start by making a background that I apply on several canvases then I watch them dry. At that moment I let my imagination do its thing, I begin to see the color creating volumes and perspectives. Then I install a scene, a movement, an object or an emotion and I let the magic happen. Sometimes realistic, sometimes dreamlike, I like this little part of dream and the impossible that we can convey through painting. This freedom to do and create is what excites me the most ».

Julien's work focuses on coloring travel memories and his interpretations of everyday life. He explores human and surrealist themes, thus merging a part of dream and reality in his works. Through his painting, he captures life, drawing inspiration from the beauty of his environment. At times, he immerses himself in the representation of animals using figuration to relax and refine his techniques. Fascinated by the strength and presence of the animal, he associates it with human behavior, thus creating a connection between man and nature.

Julien Cortade's passion for illustration blossoms from this fascination for interpretation and visual transcription. Each of his paintings tells a story, often based on events that marked him. With his brushes, he brings constantly evolving images to life. Starting from simple ideas or a sentence that he develops, he makes a work a means of sharing a message. So what he sees, hears, or can read becomes a source of inspiration and reflection.

He sees painting as a perpetual quest, a journey requiring evolution and reinvention. For Julien, it is this essence of the unpredictable and of discovery that constitutes beauty, with its share of chance and mystery in the unknown. The risk of going too far, of no longer finding yourself, of dwelling on things to which you choose to give importance, even if they have no meaning. This is what drives his artistic approach.

Julien Cortade considers that his work must reflect this fluidity and this possibility of metamorphosis. Repetition and redundancy do not appeal to him. Guided by a wide range of interests, he aspires to explore them all. Every day, he works to evolve his style, to refine his technique with precision, but there are also days when he lets go, giving free rein to his emotions on the canvas, expressing frustration, anger, love . This sometimes violent process can give birth to his most beautiful paintings.

Through his works, Julien Cortade seeks to share an alternative vision that disrupts the established order and denounces aspects of the world that do not suit him. illustrating his criticisms, he also strives to transcribe the positive aspects of what he observes, thus seeking to convey messages of hope. This is what he defines as “his quest".

The artistic movements that inspire him are mainly impressionism, narrative figuration and abstract art. The use of color in perspectives, the transmission of emotions and free interpretation direct him towards what we could call contemporary romanticism. The urban and rebellious vitality of street art also influenced his career, but the work with aerosol spray slowly gave way to the brush and the walls to canvases. Thus, through these diverse artistic trends, Julien Cortade finds his creative language, shaping a dynamic artistic identity in perpetual evolution.