Jean-Philippe Lagouarde is a self-taught artist from France whose works are characterized by a calm, meditative aesthetic. He has always been creative and has been drawing and painting since he was a child. Growing up in the southwest of France, he felt overwhelmed by city life after moving to Paris. This feeling led to a strong need to reconnect with the tangible, which significantly influenced his art.
His work is defined by a slow, repetitive and precise technique with unpredictable results. Using a box cutter, he slices thousands of thin strips of colored blotting paper and sticks them together on a frame. This traditional medium, once used primarily to absorb excess ink, gives his works a dynamic character, influenced by light, air and time.
Lagouarde sees himself more as a witness than a creator of his artworks. He emphasizes that his creative processes are made visible and that the actual work of art is preceded by its inspiration and processing. For him, creation is an act of intention in which different media interact without him intervening directly.
His works leave the viewer plenty of room for their own interpretations. Depending on the angle of view or time of day, they can evoke different moods and are reminiscent of natural structures such as tree bark or organic fibers. Lagouarde himself discovers his work during the creative process and allows himself to be guided by the composition without having an aesthetic intention in advance. His works are testimonies of a continuous, meditative, and almost ascetic process.
I discover my work as I go, by giving in to its composition. I am a spectator choosing a point of view. My approach is immersive, similar to walking under the influence of natural surroundings.
