Selected Works

Philippe Pasqua is a self-taught artist. His distinguished style of figurative painting is initially received, by most, as a physical shock. His vision of the world and of people challenges both our minds and our psyches. Pasqua powerfully displays faces and naked bodies in shades of black and gray, revealing a recognizable vulnerability inherent to all human beings. To Philippe, the human figure is represented with realism, intensity of expressionism and raw emotion. Importantly, he is adept at highlighting the importance of flesh, forcing the viewer to confront the tension of each subject.

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Pasqua paints in layers composed of material, tasks, serifs, crosses or unbound buttons. Patiently, daily, he works in the morning, where his paintings steadily came to life. He works alone in his studio and has adopted a unique approach: the observation of the world through photos of models in large frame plan and low angle shots.

His subjects range from prostitutes, transvestites, the blind, those with Down syndrome, and even people leaving the operating room. He chooses to paint these people because during his lifetime Philippe felt strong emotions when interacting or being close to these people, and the experiences moved him.

Pasqua also draws with graphite. His drawings consist of faces and bodies, which may display a halo, mist, smoke, as well as vibrations. To complete these unique drawings, he does not add, but rather subtracts traits that he carries out first. For this, Philippe utilizes erasers and cloth as unconventional tools. In contrast to his distinctive paintings, Pasqua’s penciled works pay much more attention to shape, texture and contour. A defining characteristic of these pieces is that they are centered on a white background.

Pasqua covers several techniques in his work: painting, drawing and, more recently, sculpture. In 2010, he designed “The Storage,” a space dedicated to personal but also collective artistic experiments. This place is comparable to a laboratory or museum, where Philippe develops a range of breathtaking work.

 

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