"Paysage d'Asie" Painting

Contemporary Artist · Brussels, 1959 · Based in Japan since 1983.

A RARE TECHNIQUE: AFFRESCO WITH TREE RESIN

The price of a work reflects, in part, what it cost to create — in time, in expertise, in materials.
Patrick Gerola has developed and refined a pictorial technique over decades, at the crossroads of Italian fresco and Japanese traditional painting, Nihonga. His pigments are pure — the same used in Japanese temples and court paintings. Where Japanese tradition binds these pigments with a glue made from shells and bird bones, Gerola mixes them with tree resin — a technical choice that gives his colours exceptional depth, transparency, and luminosity.
This process demands a mastery of seasons, humidity, and heat. Drying must be controlled with warmth — left to dry naturally, the pigment fades. Once properly fixed, the colour becomes permanent and immutable. Each layer must be executed flawlessly; there is no going back.
Working in near-darkness is one of the defining particularities of his studio practice. This counter-intuitive choice allows him to achieve colours of exceptional brilliance on the canvas: the contrast between the obscurity of the work and the radiance of the result is a signature.
All supports are of the highest quality. His canvases, pigments, and resins represent a significant material investment, far exceeding common standards.

AN ESTABLISHED MARKET PRESENCE

The value of an artist is also measured by their presence on the secondary art market. Patrick Gerola’s works are listed in the Artprice database, and have been offered at auction in several international salesrooms.
Several collectors — in Japan, Europe, and beyond — have built long-term holdings of Gerola’s works, a sign of sustained confidence in the trajectory and permanence of his practice.

THE UNIQUENESS OF EACH WORK

Every painting by Patrick Gerola is an original, hand-executed work — irreproducible. He produces no silkscreens, no prints, no limited editions. To acquire one of his canvases is to acquire something unique in the world.
Pricing by square centimetre — standard practice in the art world — is particularly meaningful here: the technical density and material value invested in every surface are real and measurable.

IN CONCLUSION
The prices of Patrick Gerola’s works are not arbitrary.