Highlighted by Luxus Magazine, let’s learn more about the French painter Charles Belle with an interview
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Charles Belle, a renowned French painter, is known for his unique approach to nature through monumental works. His style oscillates between a realism imbued with softness and an expressive and sensual gesture. His prolific career, which spans over 40 years, has allowed him to produce nearly 10,000 paintings and 20,000 drawings, a body of work marked by a diversity of themes and tones. Belle is distinguished by his artistic independence, remaining faithful to his own creative line.
Born into a modest family in Rochejean, where his father was a baker, Belle turned to the arts at a very early age. He joined the École Régionale des Beaux-Arts in Besançon, where he obtained his DNSEP in 1979. In parallel with his work as an artist, he became a photographer for the Musée du Temps in Besançon and taught drawing, notably at the École des Beaux-Arts in Mulhouse. By AP & ST
From the beginning, Charles Belle‘s paintings and drawings, which tend to capture everyday scenes, such as landscapes or simple objects, stand out from the academic teachings of our contemporary times. Despite this, they are quickly spotted and acquired by collectors and institutions, such as the National Fund for Contemporary Art.
Faced with criticism of his status as an artist, it seems that Charles Belle began painting as a challenge. He chose geraniums, a banal and non-noble subject, to prove his talent. This series is very successful, and his pictorial exploration of flowers becomes emblematic, although Charles Belle always remains attached to other varied themes. What may fascinate in his work is undoubtedly this constant quest for the invisible, for what goes beyond the frame of the canvas (photo credits: Noémie Belle-Paya).
Step by step, Charles Belle‘s career has turning into an international influence. Thus, his artworks are regularly presented at the biggest contemporary art fairs, notably at Art Basel, FIAC, and Art Paris. Therefore, he often exhibits in Paris, but also in New York, Seoul, and Beirut. Among his most striking realizations, we may count on Hominien dont je me souviens, an auto-posthumous portrait, made in 1994, as particularly evocative. This painting, which depicts a skull, emerging from a black background, constitutes an intimate reflection on death and identity, giving this vanity an autobiographical dimension. Therefore, Charles Belle approaches painting as a perpetual process. According to him, none of his artworks are finished as long as they are in his studio. Indeed, he always wishes to rework them, cover them, transform them, often years after their first creation.
That’s why, we could say that most of his paintings are still alive, constantly evolving, testifying to a search for balance between the ephemeral and the permanent phases. This approach somehow reflects his desire to capture the light, vibrations, and energy of creation, often without using black color, except in rare exceptions, such as this previously pictured Hominien dont je me souviens. While his paintings are widely recognized, Charles Belle also attaches great importance to drawing. Unlike other artists, he does not consider drawing as a simple preparatory process, but as a real achievement in its own right. Therefore, some of his drawings, just as imposing as his paintings, reveal the same mastery and sensitivity. Without forgetting that Charles Belle‘s universe has also inspired filmmaker François Royet. In 2022, the latter made a documentary film about the artist, visible in theaters, entitled Par-delà les silences, that followed the Caption 01, ce chou is beau film project.
This close collaboration, born from the desire to capture Charles Belle‘s creative process, resulted in more than 300 hours of rushes filming the artist in his studio, revealing the depth and complexity of his imagination. Finally, in 2010, we have learned that Charles Belle created an in situ piece, at the summit of Mont d’Or, near his native village. This project, which revolves around a beech tree, battered by the elements, reflects the intensity of his relationship with nature. Despite the storms that destroyed his initial installation, the painter has persevered and created a series of monumental paintings where the tree, a symbol of resilience, became the heart of his artistic expression.
Thus, Charles Belle‘s imaginary is distinguished by a deeply personal approach, both in resonance with the elements of nature and in perpetual quest for meaning and emotion. Such a good reason to ask him some questions about his rich path and his upcoming projects.
– Charles Belle, you say you enjoy exploring deep and intimate themes through your monumental works, capturing the beauty of nature. Could you introduce yourself as an artist?
– Could you tell us more about your collaboration with Luxus Magazine?
