LIDOprofile - Philippine de Richemont
We are so excited to introduce you to the work of Philippine de Richemont. We sat down with her to ask her a few questions and find out more about her and her work.
How did you come to do what you do?
I have always loved to paint. Movement is essential to me. I was a ballet dancer from the age of 8 to 17, and I learned to use my body to move, to bend to a certain shape. I was very conscious of what I could ask of my body and of the impression it could make on the watcher's eye.
I also took 8 years of piano. Here again I was drawn to the movement it created in tandem with sound: a harmony and disharmony similar, in some respects, to painting.
My work is the expression of my sensibility. The expression of the human figure, from life to abstraction.
I realized that, to my mind, art cannot be proper: Art has to be exaggerated. So I used my art to show my soul. Art that was born within me. I believe painting offers a way to dream and create emotions. Painting helps me think. This is me and my blank canvas, and what keeps me going is thinking about the next time I will be painting.
What you see in my work is what has moved me: my emotions, my colors, my inner world. It is raw and given shape by hand. Beyond the «finished» product – because, to me, there is no such thing as finished – there is my imagination: I create, instinctively, and express what moves me in the moment. That feeling shifts over time and if I am no longer moved in the same way, I start again. I like the work to be constantly evolving.
What's the most exciting part of your job?
The unexpected. I have also started working on large canvas formats, which is scary! Commissions also bring a whole other set of challenges to my work.
I also love meeting people who are moved by my work and who take pleasure from it. It makes me feel really good to know that I have been able to elicit that sentiment in someone.
What challenges do you usually encounter?
My biggest challenges come with commissioned pieces. There are so many unknowns and a great pressure of meeting certain expectations. They put their trust into me to create something for their home, and I need to be attentive to what exactly those expectations are.
What's your typical day like?
I take my daughter to school, make coffee, then sit down to paint. A simple routine, but one that I never get bored of!
What do you like doing in your spare time?
I fill up what spare time I have a lot, with travel, visitng museums, seeking out antique and flea markets, reading and decorating the home of my dreams!
What’s your go to track or album at the moment?
I can't stop listening to Bachar Mar-Khalifé's latest album On/Off.
bio
Born in Paris in 1989, Philippine de Richemont holds a master’s degree in Graphic Design & Photography from ESAG-Penninghen (2012), complemented by an education abroad in Photography, Graphic Design and Screen Printing at the California College of Art in San Francisco (2011). She is an artist with multiple facets. From bold and colorful to powerful monochromes, she is an artist inspired by the constant movement of our world.
Philippine lives in between New York and France. And beyond. Wherever her imagination takes her.
Follow Philippine on Instagram and check out her beautiful website
She also has a show that is currently online and available to view until December 18th. Head over to Compound to check it out.
