Olivier Deprez

Olivier Deprez's drawings and paintings seem accidental recordings of everyday phenomena. He reproduces them realistically but ensures that details are highlighted within the working process. The places remain as such recognizable for the spectator, but they are never translated directly into the fabric of the paint. The artist flattens out small details, so that his images acquire a strange anonymity. Or else he intensifies the use of colour so that they suggest a more emotional experience.

Not every sketch is actually converted into a painting. Sometimes they waver in their developing phase and evolve into autonomous drawings. Or else they form the motive for a new project. Most of his still lives originate from the drawing table. Objects are stripped from their original context and inserted into an artificial setting. In his hands they become archetypes or symbols, used in a world that is not their own.

The art of turning reality and its perception guides Deprez's oeuvre. In an era where the photographic image becomes increasingly directional (eg. advertising, internet, etc....), figurative painting offers deprez a viable alternative for the mechanical directness of photos.