by Philippe Pasqua

Born in Grasse, France in 1965, Philippe Pasqua is a self-taught painter.

He began painting at a very young age and found his bearings in figuration. A born portraitist. He alternates mediums and mixes drawing on paper, oil painting and sculpture.

Human being is the main focus of his research. His works have a surgical look. The models are analyzed and pared-down, he makes us a part of their intimacy. He plays around with oppositions, his paintings are a provocation. The vulnerable and gigantic, the sacred and the obscene, the visible and the concealed are his themes for painting. The tension is tangible and belongs to the artist, but not without remembering the works of Bacon.

Philippe Pasqua tackles various subversive subjects, with a desire to highlight the stigma in our society and confront them through our look. For this, he portrays sex workers, disabled people, trans folks— all people who are completely neglected in our society. The body and face of the people are marked with a certain visual violence, creating an aesthetic shock.

By disclosing what is usually repressed, Philippe Pasqua creates tension and shows the differences. He makes portraits on gigantic formats, turning the eye almost forcefully. His characters are imposing and strong, expression is more important than aesthetic. Color squirts on canvases underline the contrast between the tough and the refined.

One can feel the first references in the artist's dark work. Fascinated by fetishes and voodoo, we can catch a glimpse of these hints in his enigmatic figures. Today, he has a passion for vanities paintings, he collects them and makes them a part of his art.

Find this artist and many more in our collection of works by Somber Portrait Painters.