One to Watch
French painter Cécile Duchêne Malissin creates moody portraits and landscapes that explore memory and time. Cécile received her degree in Fine Arts and has been featured by Saatchi Art’s curators. Keep reading to learn more about her inspiration and process.
Tell us about who you are and what you do. What’s your background?
I was born in Paris. After studying art in Paris (École Supérieure des Arts Appliqués) and Strasbourg (Faculty of Art), I worked for several years in architectural firms before becoming a digital graphic designer. I now work full-time as an artist, having established my studio an hour from Paris. In addition to Saatchi Art, I primarily collaborate with galleries in Paris, Strasbourg, Cyprus, and at contemporary art fairs.
What does your work aim to say? What are the major themes you pursue in your work?
Life seems to me fragile and relatively ephemeral in the face of the millennia that came before us. I paint the fragility of bodies, the passage of time, abandoned places, memory, and oblivion. I explore these themes through series such as “Metamorphoses,” “Vanishing,” “Vestiges,” “Fragile Memory,” and “You Become an Absence.” Some paintings may seem more challenging, like those in the series “Dust” or “A Day Among Others.” However, my works are impregnated with poetry that serves as a filter, allowing us to approach the world with less harshness. Nature is portrayed from a wildlife-protective perspective, as seen in series like “Dissimulation” or “Apparition.” Animals are concealed or partially depicted, with parts of their bodies represented by a single line, as though ready to vanish at the slightest sign of danger.
Can you walk us through your process for creating a work from beginning to end?
My eyes are always looking for inspiring images. I photograph a place, an object, or a material that will join my stock of images, gleaned from my daily life but also from the internet or even magazines. These images can be a starting point for my creation. For instance, during a trip to Rome, I took photos of ruins, palaces, and, notably, the sculpture of a lion standing in the Villa Medicis, which I used for my painting “Vestige II.” I start with a background, usually dark, on which I sketch the initial idea. This idea evolves as the creation progresses. I alternate between painting and drawing, incorporating collages and sometimes stitching. I often work on the same theme, applying it to several pieces on canvas or paper. I may revisit and alternate between these themes over several years.
Who are your biggest influences, and why?
My preferences in art are quite broad: Georges de La Tour, for his mastery of light; Egon Schiele, for his drawing and the presence of his characters; Bonnard, for his use of color and composition; Basquiat, for the strength of his visual language; and Balthus, Peter Doig, and Cinga Samson, for the deeply personal atmosphere each of them brings to their paintings.
How does your work comment on current social and political issues?
Inevitably my work is unconsciously influenced by the current social and political landscape. However, I do not wish to address these issues directly; instead, I convey a feeling. I prefer my painting to offer a form of escape from daily struggles, though this does not stop me from being deeply interested in geopolitics and environmental issues.
How do you hope viewers respond to your works? What do you want them to feel?
I prefer not to say too much, especially by giving a title that might be too limiting, so that my painting serves as an invitation to the viewer’s personal reflection. Starting from the image I present, the viewer can make it their own and project the thoughts that resonate with their individual mythology.
If you couldn’t be an artist, what would you do?
I would like to be a gallery owner, an art advisor, or a curator so I could continue to be surrounded by creators and share my passion for particular works of art while promoting the artists who are dear to me.
Do you prefer to work with music or in silence?
I prefer to work with music. When I don’t need a lot of concentration, I listen to the radio or podcasts about history and geopolitics. I enjoy learning about what happened in past centuries and understanding what is happening in the world today. If the weather is nice, I simply open my window to listen to the birds, the sounds of the city, and the boats passing along the small canal just below my house.
