Philippe Derome
Encyclopedia
Philippe Derome is a French figurative painter.
and in Villeurbanne
. In 1956 he settled in Paris where he studied for two years with Paul Colin
. From 1960 to 1970 he was privileged enough to be part of the sophisticated and artistic circles of Paris. In Paris, he met black American students and writers such as James Baldwin
. Baldwin fed his interest on issues related to black American identity, the struggle for civil rights
in the USA, and its use as a subject for contemporary and figurative art. Later in the 1980s he also painted themes about the black people in France.
The staggered representation of recreation is another dominant theme seen in Derome’s work. He succeeds in inciting a sense of surprise from even the most banal source. He seizes the moment, or as Alexandre Vialatte puts it, "Even the most ordinary of scenes possesses the greatest sense of mystery."
detachment. But I was also influenced by my readings of James Baldwin
. Perhaps
we have not yet had a French events quite as dramatically as some American
authors whom I happened to read. As I read translations of American books and
American press reports, Once I had visualized what had happened almost like in
a live TV show. Once I had visualized it, the rest was relatively easy, like
sketching from real life. In a way, anything that i have fully visualize in
already old-hat : I can then paint it without allowing any of the emotions
of surprise or indignation to interfere. But I must feel these emotions first,
when I’m actually visualizing an experience and before I begin to paint it."
"He’s just himself, Philippe Derome, very little about –isms and the théories and ideas of others."
"As well as the figurative his work is about otherness: the other who we know as little about as we know about ourselves."
Biography
Philippe Derome grew up in Boulogne-BillancourtBoulogne-Billancourt
Boulogne-Billancourt is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Boulogne-Billancourt is a sub-prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department and the seat of the Arrondissement of Boulogne-Billancourt....
and in Villeurbanne
Villeurbanne
Villeurbanne is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.It is situated northeast of Lyon, with which it forms the heart of the second-largest metropolitan area in France after that of Paris. Villeurbanne is the second-largest city in the department.-History:The current location of...
. In 1956 he settled in Paris where he studied for two years with Paul Colin
Paul Colin
Paul Colin was one of France’s greatest poster artists.Made famous in 1925 by his poster for the Revue Nègre, which helped to launch the career of Joséphine Baker , he worked for over forty years in the theatre, creating not only posters but also numerous sets and costumes.Very Art déco at...
. From 1960 to 1970 he was privileged enough to be part of the sophisticated and artistic circles of Paris. In Paris, he met black American students and writers such as James Baldwin
James Baldwin (writer)
James Arthur Baldwin was an American novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic.Baldwin's essays, for instance "Notes of a Native Son" , explore palpable yet unspoken intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in Western societies, most notably in mid-20th century America,...
. Baldwin fed his interest on issues related to black American identity, the struggle for civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
in the USA, and its use as a subject for contemporary and figurative art. Later in the 1980s he also painted themes about the black people in France.
The staggered representation of recreation is another dominant theme seen in Derome’s work. He succeeds in inciting a sense of surprise from even the most banal source. He seizes the moment, or as Alexandre Vialatte puts it, "Even the most ordinary of scenes possesses the greatest sense of mystery."
Themes
His main subjects are :- The leisure civilisation : SkiSkiA ski is a long, flat device worn on the foot, usually attached through a boot, designed to help the wearer slide smoothly over snow. Originally intended as an aid to travel in snowy regions, they are now mainly used for recreational and sporting purposes...
, beaches scenes, nights clubs - NégritudeNégritudeNégritude is a literary and ideological movement, developed by francophone black intellectuals, writers, and politiciansin France in the 1930s by a group that included the future Senegalese President Léopold Sédar Senghor, Martinican poet Aimé Césaire, and the Guianan Léon Damas.The Négritude...
, African-American Civil Rights Movement, Selma to Montgomery marchesSelma to Montgomery marchesThe Selma to Montgomery marches were three marches in 1965 that marked the political and emotional peak of the American civil rights movement. They grew out of the voting rights movement in Selma, Alabama, launched by local African-Americans who formed the Dallas County Voters League...
and later black people in France. - VanitasVanitasIn the arts, vanitas is a type of symbolic work of art especially associated with Northern European still life painting in Flanders and the Netherlands in the 16th and 17th centuries, though also common in other places and periods. The word is Latin, meaning "emptiness" and loosely translated...
- War
Techniques
- Oils and acrylics on canvas, gouaches on paper.
- Objects and painted furnitures.
- Collages : books of photograpics assemblies or colors papers silhouetteSilhouetteA silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene consisting of the outline and a basically featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. Although the art form has been popular since the mid-18th century, the term “silhouette” was seldom used until the early decades...
cut and stuck as artwork
Quotations
"I chose these incidents in Selma because I could handle them with moredetachment. But I was also influenced by my readings of James Baldwin
James Baldwin (writer)
James Arthur Baldwin was an American novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic.Baldwin's essays, for instance "Notes of a Native Son" , explore palpable yet unspoken intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in Western societies, most notably in mid-20th century America,...
. Perhaps
we have not yet had a French events quite as dramatically as some American
authors whom I happened to read. As I read translations of American books and
American press reports, Once I had visualized what had happened almost like in
a live TV show. Once I had visualized it, the rest was relatively easy, like
sketching from real life. In a way, anything that i have fully visualize in
already old-hat : I can then paint it without allowing any of the emotions
of surprise or indignation to interfere. But I must feel these emotions first,
when I’m actually visualizing an experience and before I begin to paint it."
"He’s just himself, Philippe Derome, very little about –isms and the théories and ideas of others."
"As well as the figurative his work is about otherness: the other who we know as little about as we know about ourselves."
Artworks
- Riot (1963)
- Selma marche (1968)
- Black head (1971)
- Le Flore (1973)
- Jusqu'à quand ? (1974)
- Skieurs (1976)
- Harmony (1987)
- Tank rouge (1994)
- AIDS, hotel Bailey, NY (1997)
Shows
- 1959 : Galerie Luc Burnap. Saint-Tropez. France
- 1960 : Luc Burnap Gallery. New York. USA
- 1967 : Biennale du Grand Palais, Paris (« Ph.Derome peint une conversation au Flore à la manière de Jean-Luc Godart », J. Warnod, le Figaro
- 1968 : Salon de Mai «A very hard-working young painter who knows what he wants and worries very little about –isms and the théories and ideas of others. » Edouard RoditiEdouard RoditiÉdouard Roditi was an American poet, short-story writer and translator. He was born in Paris and subsequently studied in France, England, Germany and the USA. He published several volumes of poetry, short stories, and art criticism...
, NY Diplomat - 1973 - 1980 : Galerie Annick GendronAnnick GendronAnnick Gendron is a French abstract painter, .- Art :In the 1970s Gendron’s innovative way of using and manipulating industrial material and tools as plastic, glass, hydraulics press and centrifuges...
Paris - 1974 : Collection Jean Pierre Brasseur-Gregor. Munich (with a documentary realized by Fassbinder)
- 1978 : Marbella Club. Marbella