"I know that sometimes my works cause incomprehension": Var artist Thierry Loulé exhibits his colorful world in Toulon

A burst of color. An accumulation of matter. Faces emerging. A form of introspection too, since some of the canvases conceal self-portraits. Artist Thierry Loulé is taking over the Galerie Estade in Toulon to present some of his work.

"I'm not going to reinvent the history of art. I know that sometimes my works arouse incomprehension. When I'm in front of my canvas, I don't wonder if it will please or not." Now based in the Saint-Jean district, the artist lets his primal side express itself. Almost animal. With the brush, with his hands, with the knife, he transforms himself.

"He's not the same when he paints. There, you see a calm man, but he's completely different in his studio," smiles Michel Estade, a friend of twenty years of Loulé. The two men have a special relationship. The painter can call his gallery owner at any time to share his doubts. He sends him photos of his paintings in progress. "Sometimes, I feel like I'm losing myself," sighs Thierry Loulé. He confides: "I act a bit like I'm under a kind of influence, almost a trance. But sometimes, it takes time."

"A way to communicate with myself"

He feeds off everything around him, the people he meets on the street. "My brain captures things, it will transcribe them into an emotion. I often wonder why I paint people. I think it's just to communicate with myself. What emerges from the paintings is a part of me." His expressionist art can seem difficult to access. However, when you sit down in front of one of his works, whether you are an amateur or not, you find yourself moved. Everyone can interpret it in their own way. On the gallery walls, he exhibits his portraits, but also still lifes, more alive than ever, in all formats.

Experimenting with ceramics

Another new thing for the artist: a whole new field of work on ceramics. Having gone to Portugal, he felt "like a child. At first, I went there with a knot in my stomach. But I got out of my comfort zone and had a lot of fun. There's no longer any material like on canvas, but there's still engraving. I can't help but scratch," he says, laughing. While confessing: " It also feels good to leave painting a little. It's a strong, powerful medium. In the canvases, there's a kind of struggle. I feel more freedom in drawing—if you mess up, you tear it up—or in pottery."

Loulé does not rule out exploring other horizons, while maintaining his visceral need to paint, always with the desire "not to tell stories to people" , he insists.

Thierry Loulé at Galerie Estade, Toulon. Until October 31. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.