We like to think of Parisian-born Brigitte Curt as one of our true French Impressionists.We immediately felt that her radiant and light-drenched paintings would perfectly complement the gallery, and we were right!
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Le Cabanon
Fields of Poppies, Sold
Provence Hillside
Artists's Biography
Inspired from an early age by the simple beauty of nature and a sense of limitless space, Curt was surrounded by a family that encouraged artistic adventures, critical thinking, and the pursuit of creative achievements.Her broad education included the study of philosophy at the University of Paris, followed by degrees earned in ethnography and ethno-sociology at the University of Alger, Algiers and Abidjan, Ivory Coast.She worked and traveled extensively throughout North and West Africa studying the techniques of traditional African artists.Brigitte says,” The extraordinary beauty of African light left its mark on my mind and soul.It defined the intense drama between a light so bright that it burns your eyes and the depth of shadow so deep your soul searches for meaning in its profound mystery.” That experience with the unremitting African light is evident in Brigitte’s rich and luminescent landscapes that capture the intricacies of nature.Her skies are vivid; the land is soft and full of light and shadow.
The artist arrived in California in 1987, and with her customary enthusiasm and motivation, began a full-time academic training program. For many years she relentlessly practiced life drawing and the techniques of oil painting. She acquired a rounded knowledge of other disciplines such as color theory, rendering, materials of drawing and painting, portrait, as well as form and composition.A position as studio assistant for artist and mentor Ovanes Berberian gave Brigitte strong direction to her brushwork and her use of color harmonies. While drama and contrast has always been the first and richest dimensions of her artistic expression, Brigitte’s research has lead her to explore the principles of harmony, which she believes is the deepest and most sophisticated expression in art. Her belief in the profound beauty of nature continues to lead her to express these great principles of harmony in her own lyrical romantic style.
In 1992, Brigitte began teaching Plein Air landscape painting. She currently teaches multiple classes in California and conducts workshops in France every summer. Travel is still a large part of Brigitte's life. In the last ten years, she has painted in the American West, Australia, and the Far East.She has also painted in Russia where she organized a landscape workshop in association with the School of Realist Art under the direction of teachers from the St. Petersburg Academy. Brigitte currently conducts plein-air workshops in the California countryside and Provence. She spends three months on the year at her home in the high plateau of northern Provence amidst the lavender fields. Brigitte is represented by the famed print distributor Winn-Devon who distributes her prints in 84 countries where they find a warm welcome.
