Francis Lagneau
BIO
Francis Lagneau, born at Andenne (Belgium), the 14/05/1953
After traditional studies then technical of the building, I launch out continuation in the music by forming my first rock band to Liege in 1972 : Telegraph. Then it will be Moon in June, Climat and finally the band Marketing Zo until in 1991, date on which I will be reached of my neurologic affection, the primitive lateral sclerosis and where I will forsake the music and my trade of building contractor for painting.
This one is already a passion as of my adolescence, dazzled and tormented as of my fourteen years by the Primitive Flemings, their inventiveness and their technique which I will try to reinvent with each one of my picture. In parallel, the surrealist ones challenge me, especially Magritte, Delvaux and Dali of which I appreciate clearness and the technique. It is only later that I will become aware of the importance of the impressionists and that I will mix their vague light style with my executions “with the point of the brush” specific to Primitive which were my mentors. I traversed the museums of Europe to integrate their style of which I will never manage to demolish myself.
I give me the name of Symbolist, without in being really certain, because of the fact that there are always truths hidden (but not too for which can see there) in my pictures. Apart from the beauty (in my eyes) of the image, my fabrics want to be oneiric, they want to be a denunciation with broad spectrum of miseries of the existence of the man, their illusions, of their cowardice and of their cruelty, it without wanting moralize because I do not estimate myself better than another.
my workshop
With this intention, my work, like an opera of Wagner, must be seen as a whole. Indeed, of the recurring characters (almost of the Leitmotiv) my fabrics populate. They are in general pilot scene. The first, the character with the long conical nose, is the first witness: he undergoes in general the act in which it is implied or undergoes the events with a disturbing incapacity. He is only there to reinforce dramatic scene. The second, the woman, is useful, by her body stripped and exposed to all, to mark an opposition. She shows without reserve what makes turn the world and seems moved in the latent violence of certain of my fabrics. It is the goal of her presence. She is sometimes abused, main or simple witness, but always improper by her nudity in a world of principles. A possible misogyny is not the reason, but rather an obsession which I try to update.
In my pictures, it seems that an army of architects come from various regions took pleasure, under tormented skies, to build incredible cities. In luxuriant vegetations, many Eve semi-naked, semi-angels semi-daemons, excite men or seem intended for sacrifices. Many biblical scenes are revisited by my atheism and are put in parallel with our present. All these things are the fruit of my phantasms, my philosophy, of my thoughts, and I thus wanted to make my painting timeless.
Since 2006, I threw myself in the literature (in French for the moment), new passion, while starting with an Heroic-Fantasy epopee (Akimbo) which you will find on this site and I have many other projects in progress.
Good visit.
