Nicolas WATINE

For many years, I painted objects I could touch, objects close to me. With them I created very architectural compositions. Still lives I was trying to animate with inert objects, daily objects assembled within their affinity and placed motionless on an horizontal setting, static, timeless, final.

Then, to get out of this immutable world, I opened my windows. The marvels of the Venetian palaces dazzled me. With my first canvases, I copied facades the way one would copy a common apple. Later, leaving the creativity of the Venetian architects, I composed my own facades using various existing elements but assembled differently to create imaginary palaces.

Since 2009, I have left both still lives and Venice. Off to the open sea. From a static world I left for a lively and dynamic one. The glasses of water from my still lives broke, the water from my carafes spread around and from my Venetian canals I went towards the sea. After the confined world of my still lives, immensity lays in front of me : the sea.

The sea is waves, transparencies, air flow, sea foam, boats. But it’s also sand beaches with sand yachting, horse riders, strollers, wooden or fabric cabins hustled by the wind...