Featured Artist Valérie Le Meur | Artsy Shark

Enjoy the portfolio of French painter Valérie Le Meur, who captures places in a colorful and expressive style. See more by visiting her website.

I am a figurative painter of urban scenes. I often paint London, where I regularly visit. The mix of bricks, iron and glass fascinate me. I’m drawn to streets, architecture, and interior atmospheres, like theatres or shops.

I’m fascinated by cities because I was born and lived for a long time in large cities in the Parisian suburbs. In the city, I love its madness, its noise, its colours, the movement, the crowds. But the city is also about solitude and anonymity. That feeling of being alone in a big city like Paris or London is very real.

My painting reflects these contradictory feelings. Through successive layers of paint and quick, sharp brushstrokes, I depict a city that is alive, noisy, and colourful. The few barely drawn figures are part of the background. They represent anonymity and solitude.

Colour plays an essential role in my painting, even before the subject. It’s the colour that sets the mood, the atmosphere. I’m not searching for reality but rather for a feeling. To achieve this, I play with colours, shadows, and lights.

Although my style can be characterized as modern impressionism, I am mainly inspired by cinematic atmospheres to bring a sense of mystery and illusion to my work, existing between reality and dream. Because I am rather impatient, I paint with acrylics, which allows me to work in brisk, bold brushstrokes.

Despite their vibrant colours, my work is neither naive nor simplistic. They often hide an underlying message waiting to be deciphered. As Leonard Cohen once said, “There’s always a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”

Since 2016, I have exhibited my work in solo and group exhibitions in Greater Paris, London, and Tokyo, as well as in historic Parisian Art Salons such as the Salon des Artistes Français at the Grand Palais. I am a member of the Salon d’Automne, where I have been exhibiting since 2019.

I am represented in France by Paul Stewart Gallery, on Rise Art for the UK, and on Saatchiart.com/VLM for international exhibitions.

Valérie Le Meur invites you to follow on Instagram.

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