Cheval noir, 2024

William Byl  

William Byl was born on October 21, 1974 in Cholet in Maine-et-Loire. He currently lives in Vendée, in the town of Bruffière.

Passionate about drawing since childhood, William trained at the School of Fine Arts in Cholet. For 15 years, he devoted himself to the production of pastel paintings, focusing more particularly on the portrait and the representation of the human figure. In 2005, he illustrated the cover of the CD “la Verte Couleur”, produced by Jeanne-Marie Gilbert, singer and lutenist.

At the same time, he discovered the ceramics of the 1950s and he was fascinated by the achievements of Jean Derval, René Maurel, Roger Capron, François Raty, Jacques Blin, Luc Lanel and a few others ... In 2013, he chose to use the earth as a new mode of expression and explores the techniques of modeling and ceramics. He creates dreamlike figures in animal or anthropomorphic shapes enriched with geometric patterns and scarifications sometimes evoking Africa where he spent his early years.

Its pieces, in chamotte sandstone, are covered with thin layers of oxides so as to reveal the raw aspect of the material. For each of his creations, he produces numerous sketches and preparatory drawings. William Byl received the Fernand Dupré Sculpture Prize awarded by the city of Cholet in 2018. His works are exhibited in several galleries in France.