"Selections from the Japan 2012 series"

"A look at ancient Japan and specifically at woodblock prints (ukiyo-e). Their graphic richness, vibrant colors, and sophistication seemed to me the ideal inspirational foundation for the pictorial paths I wished to explore: working on more graphic compositions, blending textures, and capturing movement.

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It is merely a foundation, as my interpretation often alters the initial message of these prints. Take the painting 'ASUKA', for example. Japanese men, and samurai warriors in particular, are traditionally depicted with aggressive, violent expressions. In contrast, I gave Asuka a face of peace, gentleness, and serenity. He is my symbol of the true knight—one who defends his values with power (in the painting, his stature fills the entire width), yet without a trace of hatred. Simply with righteousness and love.

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In the works 'KEIKO the Graceful' or 'ASAKA Morning Fragrance', I approach the theme of geishas and, by once again subverting the original message, the broader theme of women. Stripping the representation of its courtesan connotations, I paint her by turns enigmatic, secret, complicit, gentle, falsely submissive, and sophisticated.

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This also provides an opportunity to evoke one of my recurring themes: the couple, or rather the relationship—the interplay between masculine and feminine. Drawing inspiration from more erotic prints, I crop them to focus solely on the gaze and the emotional depth of the moment. Where Japanese prints often show tense, aggressive, or even pained faces, I paint them in harmony, in motion, and in a state of surrender—at once in ecstasy and tenderness, as seen in 'HARUKI Spirit of Spring' or 'HANAYO Flower of the World'."

                                                                                                                     Philippe Loubat