Introducing Ivan GAUTHIER

IVAN GAUTHIER’S BIOGRAPHY 

Artistic Awakening and Cultural Richness 

Of Ukrainian origin, Ivan came to live in France when he was adopted at the age of 3. He grew up in the Lille region, marked by the dichotomy and contrast between the cultural and economic richness of the North and the persistent social and labor challenges. Ivan forged himself in a working-class environment tinged with sadness and poverty, which heightened his artistic sensitivity.

Since childhood, Ivan has felt a compelling need to express himself through drawing, but also through drama and music. "The roots of my artistic impulse lie in the harsh environment of my childhood, marked by psychologically difficult times. I knew I didn’t want to resemble my surroundings." Art became both his refuge and his way of "existing" at an early age.

His artistic evolution was significantly influenced by his parents. His father's enthusiasm for archaeology and natural history, coupled with his mother's expertise as an art object restorer, gave him access to culture and unconditional support in his artistic practice. This allowed him to overcome difficult moments, accept failure as a step toward success, and equipped him with determination to live, to exist, to be... Because his uniqueness exposed him to the rejection of others, especially his peers, whether at school or within the broader working-class environment where he evolved.

His parents played a crucial role in his artistic development. His father, passionate about archaeology and natural history, and his mother, a restorer of art objects, provided him with privileged access to culture and unconditional support in his artistic practice. This allowed him to overcome difficult moments, to embrace failure as a stepping stone to success, and instilled in him the resilience to live, to thrive, to be…especially since his uniqueness was the subject of rejection by others, whether at school or the broader working-class environment in which he grew up in.

Ivan Gauthier: His Artworks, His Style 

His Artworks

Ivan Gauthier's artistic prowess is a product of what life gave him, finely chiseled by his sensitivity. His art captures the dichotomy between outward appearances and the hidden truths perceived through his eyes. Whether portraying the sorrowful expressions on faces or the vivid brilliance of colors, he reveals a captivating paradox. Ivan's heightened sensitivity enables him to "see" beyond mere appearances, aiming not to replicate emotion but rather to unearth it. "I'm no different than others, even if I've been led to believe otherwise. We all have facades, masking our true identity. Ironically, it's often the most troubled who radiate the most." This philosophy has led him to include a part of himself in all his portraits, such as his eyebrows. For Ivan, art is a means of connecting with others in every sense of the word—a bond, a shared experience with those who contemplate his artworks. "The more people appreciate my work, the more inspired and determined I am to paint." For him, art is a way of seeing and being seen, a way to communicate his nuanced vision of the world.

His Style

Ivan Gauthier's artistic expression seesaws between spontaneous, raw strokes of sketching and a more precise, meticulous figurative painting on canvas. While he occasionally drifts onto the depiction of landscapes and still life, portraiture remains his preferred subject. Regardless of the artwork, subject, or medium, his style is quite distinctive which reflects a certain artistic strength and maturity rarely seen in such a young artist.

In addition to his brushstrokes and his unique faces, his style is distinguishable by his use of vibrant and intense colors. "Perhaps, because I am afraid of the dark... but probably also because I'm colorblind." Nonetheless, Ivan delves into a spectrum of blues, drawing inspiration, notably, from Prussian blue and Kees Van Dongen's “Starry Night”—a painting that triggered his emotions at a very young age. And beyond the colors, the patterns of the clothes reflect his passion for fashion, fabrics, and prints, but always with the intent of creating a contrast between the attire and the one wearing it—starting with eyes that hold a very expressive gaze as if to softly whisper unspoken truths.

Chagall