Bleu at the Oslo Opera Painting

Combining symbolic elements of the figurative and the abstract, French artist Christian Perez de Carvasal creates stunning canvases that reflect all the movement and energy intrinsic to city life. Inspired by a childhood in Paris, the artist paints sprawling scenes highlighting the majesty of modern architecture and the dynamism of crowded sidewalks and streets. Yet interspersed amid his urban landscapes are peaceful humanlike creatures which serve in juxtaposition to the harried pace that commonly defines city life. He explains, “I am inspired by urban life, people in motion, architecture and colors. My mission is to provoke emotional and political reflections and visual expressions.” One of the hallmarks of Carvasal’s work is his use of pure color accentuated with rich, complex textures. His powerful hues are set in edgy compositions that rely on a distinct use of line and geometric form. By combining a variety of techniques and forms, he is able to infuse his cityscapes with new meanings, bridging the mythologies of urban life to explore the depth of experience within. “I am an artist who combines symbolism with the figurative and the abstract on canvas. I use a variety of art forms/techniques and I mostly paint with knives to keep the colors as pure as possible. My main source of inspiration is large cities with their dynamic and modern architecture. I have always been fascinated by them, being a product of urban life myself, having grown up in Paris, close to the Eiffel Tower, and seeing the different scenes of Parisian life clearly contributed to my artistic choices. In my work I try to show the peace and quiet you cannot create in busy city life by adding human-life creatures in different contexts. The idea is to provoke emotional and political reflections in my audience.”