Cerises Painting

The Heritage of the Gesture Pierre Dominique Lafitte does more than simply paint; he continues a lineage. Born in 1957 in Ville d’Avray, he was initiated into the arts at the age of twelve by his maternal grandmother, the artist Lise Lafitte. This foundational education of the eye and hand was further refined at the Beaux-Arts de Versailles (1971), and subsequently through an apprenticeship in the studio of painter Jaro Hilbert in Ville d’Avray. Though he briefly considered a career in music, his passion for operatic singing left him with a profound sense of harmony, an inner rhythm that imbues each of his compositions with life. The Evolution of a Vision: From Symbolism to Poetic Transcendence His journey is a quest for meaning. After exploring a Symbolist style tinged with Surrealism, evoking ancient cities (1979), he pivoted toward Poetic Realism in 1982. This period saw the development of his most personal form: large-format figurative paintings exploring human transcendence. This direction received masterly consecration during an exhibition at the 37th Festival d'Art Lyrique d'Aix-en-Provence in 1985. Parallel to his fine art, he applied his acute sense of composition to the world of commercial imagery, creating the iconic visuals for the national advertising campaigns of the tour operator Vacances Héliades. Mastery of the Old Masters and the Secret of Light The year 1987 proved to be his most decisive. Fascinated by the work of Vermeer, Pierre Dominique Lafitte embarked on an obsessive quest to rediscover and master the pictorial techniques of the Dutch Golden Age. This research represents a total commitment to excellence: the artist works exclusively with traditional natural pigments, reproducing the timeless brilliance of the Old Masters. The still life became the vessel for this study and for a metaphysical contemplation of the sensory world. His signature is expressed through the infinite richness of his textures and the precision of his chiaroscuro, bestowing each canvas with an internal light and a striking, textured hyper-realism that elevates the simplest objects to a sacred dimension. This high-caliber "Fine Art," sought after by discerning collectors, offers a contemporary interpretation of figurative oil painting inspired by 17th-century techniques.