The world of Louis Granet
Interview by Aurélie Laurière
Do you remember when you first came into contact with art?
Like a lot of kids, my first encounter with art was through comic strip cartoons. So from the time I was 2 or 3 until I was 22 or maybe 23, I wanted to be a comic strip artist.
“ The construction of my paintings owes a lot to the comic strip. There's the base, the relationship between the images, and therefore a narrative to mention, even if that can be absurd and abstract.”
Was it therefore inevitable that you would study art?
I studied at the Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux, became graduate of the Comic Strip School in Angouleme before finally graduating from the School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg. At the time I moved from Bordeaux to Angoulême, I was absolutely convinced that I wanted to make a career in comic strip. But then I started painting and realised that the daily routine of a comic strip creator wasn’t for me. After I graduated and having met the artist Stéphane Calais, I came to Paris telling myself: “I want to be an artist”.
How does your interest of comic strip cartoons art influence your paintings today?
The construction of my paintings owes a lot to the comic strip, as do the very fluid lines and the fact that I draw from photos that I’ve taken myself. Having said that, I’m not a comic strip artist who paints. I am a painter.
In July last year, one of your paintings was acquired by the Societe Generale Collection. What was your reaction to that news?
It’s a very nice feeling when people trust us, reward us and decide to present us to an audience. It’s also very important that they choose to acquire pieces, because that’s what allows us to continue working.
What projects do you plan for the future?
A one-man show in the Societe Generale Towers at La Défense is planned for next January. But before that, I’m part of a group exhibition at the Château du Fey this October, followed by a solo show at the Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery in Luxembourg.
“ Images of the street, markets, comics, souvenir shops are superimposed randomly on top of each other. Louis Granet has decided to be a witness to his era, for being a painter in 2019 is itself a test, with multiple challenges that will make it all the more beautiful.”
STÉPHANE CALAIS, PAINTER - LOUIS GRANET‘S FORMER TEACHER.