Pascal Lecocq (born 4 June 1958) is a French Painting and set designer. He is the Painter of Blue who paints on high backcloths of sky or deep sea, as a stage director, figures, horses, divers, allegories, architectures, Venice, and ancient ruins, between hyperrealism and surrealism with a whimsical sense of humor. He is the author of the diving world renowned picture: The Matador.
Biography
Pascal Lecocq was born in
Fontainebleau, France, on 4 June 1958. Pascal attended, while in high school,
Ecole Comairas art school, from the
Fondation Taylor, in Fontainebleau, from 1973 to 1977, as a pupil of Yvonne Bouisset Mignon (daughter of the painter
Abel Mignon (1861-1936) who studied with Jean-Léon Gérôme; spouse of the painter Jacques Bouisset (1888-1977), the son of the famous author of the poster
Chocolat Meunier Firmin Bouisset (1859-1925). His first solo exhibition took place in Fontainebleau in January 1977. He then obtained a
PhD degree of Arts at the University of Paris VIII in 1985 under the direction of Prof.
Frank Popper. Pascal Lecocq moved to Normandy in 1982, and opened his own art gallery in
Honfleur (1989-2000); after a first exhibition at the DEMA
[ The Diving Equipment & Marketing Association named Pascal “Artist of the Year” 2001.] show in Anaheim, CA, in 1998, he has been invited to show his artwork in the United States where he moved in 2003, becoming then a US resident.
Stage design
Pascal Lecocq's dissertation for the Doctorate was a philosophical study of the interrelation between all the arts, focusing in the
set design in opera, making a historical study specific to the
Wandeldekoration,
[ Heinz-Hermann Meyer, Kiel, Germany, 2012 “Wandeldekoration”, Lexikon der Filmbegriffe, .] spectacular moving scenery of
Parsifal, by
Richard Wagner, from 1882 to 1982.
[ Pascal Lecocq, 1987 “La Wandeldekoration” , Revue d’Histoire du Théâtre, n°156, p359-383, .] Then, Pascal Lecocq worked as a director assistant, and set and costume designer in different opera houses in France (from 1985 to 1996:
Lohengrin, Der Ring, Parsifal, Tosca, Traviata …and in 2016 at the Opera de Nice
The Magic Flute directed by
Numa Sadoul). He also directed
Der Freischütz, by Carl Maria von Weber in Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liège, Belgium, in 1991.
Underwater art
While working on
The Flying Dutchman, opera by R.Wagner, at the Théâtre d’Angers, France, in 1986, he got the idea for his first painting with divers. In 1993, he painted
Corrida,
The Matador while working about the opera
Carmen with his famous bullfighter by
Bizet, before being introduced to dive shows and becoming an icon in the world diving industry.
His artwork, oil on canvas in the traditional technique of
Van Eyck,
Vermeer, and Salvador Dalí, has been displayed in more than 250 solo exhibitions around the world, and featured in many art books about
Parsifal,
[R.Wagner, Parsifal, Actes-Sud Papiers, 1995, .] Arnold Böcklin,
[P.Peyrolles, Hommage à L'Ile des Morts d'Arnold Böcklin, Somogy, 2001, .] Marcel Proust[P.Mante-Proust, M.Naturel, Marcel Proust. L'arche et la colombe, Michel Lafon, 2012, .] or horses,
[Jean-Louis Gouraud, Femmes de cheval, ed.Favre, 2004, .] and as front cover and portfolios for more than 20 magazines. The exhibition
Shark ! at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, Florida (May 2012-January 2013), curated by Richard Ellis (biologist),
[Richard Ellis, Shark. A visual history, Lyons Press, 2012, .] presented two paintings by Pascal Lecocq, including the
Matador.
[ Consulate general of France in Miami, press release .][ The Matador at the MoAF on CBS.]
Pascal Lecocq has been a member of the Ocean Artists Society[ “Using ocean art to inspire people around the world to a greater awareness of our need to preserve our natural world”.] (2003-2013), a contributor to many environmental organizations, an active advocate for the sharks, and for the education of arts, making workshops with children.[ Pascal Lecocq Foundation for the Arts and Environmental Education.]
Pascal Lecocq collaborates with Champagne Edmond Bourdelat, France, creating exclusive collector bottle caps since 2015 (6 each year).[ Le Petit Journal des Collectionneurs (#428, April 2023, 4ème édition 2023 par C. Lambert, .] Two bottles were wrapped with one commission painting (2013), while another featured his iconic piece, "The Matador", (2019).
Since 2016, Australian based World Underwater magazine Ocean Geographic holds the "Ocean Geographic Pictures Of The Year Awards",[ The Creative Vision looked for unique, surprising, artistic interpretations of the ocean with a distinct, well thought out process, originality and an attempt to convey a greater understanding of the watery planet. .] named in honour of, and judged by some of the most celebrated image-makers of the ocean, including the "Creative Vision – the Dr Pascal Lecocq Award for Outstanding Achievement". Pascal is also a worldwide awards recipient.
He is the author of more than 100 magazine articles or lectures about painting, the technique of the old masters, anatomy in art, set design... He contributed to the exhibition Homage to Böcklin’s Isle of the Dead (2001-2), at the Musée Bossuet of Meaux, France, as a featured painter and as the webmaster of the site dedicated to the Isle of the Dead.[ Website dedicated to A. Böcklin's Isle of the Dead.]
External links
