Jean-Humbert Savoldelli

What is your background?

I trained in decorative painting, where I learned painting techniques such as marbling and trompe-l’œil.

What inspires you and what is your creative process?

My principal source of inspiration is colour and humans.

What is your favourite subject matter and why?

I don’t have a favourite subject, but I always represent the human form as a silhouette. The silhouette is painted in one stroke with a palette knife, it must be an evocation, not a portrait- it’s just a simulation of a human on the canvas.

Who are your biggest influences?

I came from hyper-realism; those times are over! I just want to place my human silhouettes in an abstract world which is more poetic and elegant than the one in which we live.

How have you stayed inspired and energized during the pandemic?

I spent all my time in my Workshop, the pandemic was a good reason for me to use more colours, more forms, more abstracts and landscapes to permit my silhouettes to escape. A lot of artworks have been painted during this period with the pandemic; like « La Pandémie du Bonheur »

What is/are your favourite medium(s)?

My favourite medium is acrylic, I used oil when I was painting in hyper-realism style. Currently I prefer acrylic as it allows me to paint more spontaneously and is more vibrant.

How long does it take to complete a piece, and what is the entire process? Do you like working on different pieces at the same time?

I have been learning and experimenting throughout the 35 years I have been painting. Each artwork painted is a lesson for the next one…
Ok…
It depends on the kind of artworks I’m painting… I have different kinds of ways of painting, I often paint different layers and scratch to let the first one re-appear. As I use acrylic it dries very quickly, so I have to be quick too. I never paint two artworks at the same time. I really need to be focused on one subject.

Name an artist(s) you’d like to be compared to.

I really don’t know, my style is very particular, and I like artists with very different styles: Monet, Dali, Hoper and Rockwell. I don’t want to be compared to anyone, I paint my own unique pieces, and I don’t want to be influenced.

What subjects do you pursue and why?

Coming from a background of hyper-realism, I would always find an artist more realistic or an artwork more photo realistic than mine. I found it constraining and abstract was my escape. Since September 2013, I have painted more than one thousand paintings, searching and experimenting ways of mixing colours, ways of putting them on the canvas, and ways of using my palette knives… Everything has to evolve or it dies, and I need my paintings to stay alive.

Currently, my principal subject is abstract landscapes in which I walk my silhouettes which have become my trademark. I also practice gestural painting, in which the silhouettes like to wander too.

What other artists have been inspirational to you in your work?

No Idea!

What do you hope people feel when they view your art?

I hope my art allows them to dream.