JEAN PAUL COURCHIA
Jean-Paul Courchia is a highly successful painter both in Europe and in America. His oils on canvas were displayed in Marseille in the famous Provençal Gallery Jouvène, which Van Gogh and Cezanne called home for their artwork. Her Highness Queen Paola of Belgium, Mr. and Mrs. Shinomiya, General Consul of Japan in Marseille, and Mr. Aldon James, president of the National Arts Club in New-York, are avid collectors of his work. As early as 1998, art historian Alauzen Di Genova, specialist in Provençal art, said of the young painter's beginnings (1998 "Provençal Masters"): "The astonishing fact in Jean-Paul Courchia's new career is that a public has been created around him, by spontaneous generation, ranging from simple exhibition visitors to collectors of Provençal artists." He quotes Pierre Signoret, who added in 1992: "The rigor of framing, the fluidity of execution, the audacity of the layout reflects a rigor and a metaphysical stripping, so great is the tension that emerges from these works deprived of all human presence."
As for influences, if he recognizes his admiration for Cézanne, Matisse, Verdilhan, Camoin and Lesbros, critics also found concordances with Marquet.
In 2000, an article pushes his career to an international level. "He painted Marseilles and the south as he breathed their perfumes of great breadth and fertile soil. In the intoxication of colors and the plenitude of his art, Jean-Paul Courchia borrows the wake of the masters of the Provençal School. The very ones who offer behind each of their canvases the sun and life " This is how Caroline Guiol describes the painting of Jean-Paul Courchia in the world-famous magazine “Côté Sud”. This article introduced the Queen Paola of Belgium to meet the artist and acquire several of his work for her summer home in France. More recently, in 2016, the city of Marseille honored Jean Paul Courchia in a six-month long exhibit at the Municipal Archives. In this exhibition, Jean Paul Courchia exhibited twelve paintings inspired by antique documents depicting the city of Marseille and its port to which he was given unprecedented access to by the Municipal Archives.
Courchia is also a keen public speaker, with a special ability to explain through a simple approach the way we see art. Being both a medical doctor and a world-renowned artist has allowed Jean-Paul Courchia to study and understand how people look at works of art. Using eye tracking technologies, he has been able to analyze eye movement patterns of subjects in front of famous works of art. His work has been published in scientific journals and presented at keynote adresses in both France and the United States. This work on the human mind has brought to the light the special bond that form between an artist and its spectator. This bond, that transcends both time and place, gives us a privileged look into the inner workings of the human mind. It is not surprising that this project has sparked the interest of both scientific organizations such as the French Society of Ophthalmology and artistic foundations such as Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.
Since January 2018 Jean Paul Courchia is dedicated entirely to his art and his research.
ARTIST STATEMENT:
Jean-Paul Courchia
Art is, for me, a breath of life. With a paintbrush in my hands for the past fifty years, I have been able to live off my work for the past thirty years. Painting has allowed me to travel the globe, from my French home to the distant land of China.
I am a figurative painter who enjoys the quiet sceneries of Provence, French interiors and still lifes. In my early works, color was my main subject. With a colorful palette, I not only enjoyed contrasts but especially the patterns of colors found in every shadows. Growing up in the land of Paul Cézanne, I have always been in agreement with his idea that “shadow is a color”. I believe that this principle is on full display in each of my work. Interestingly, the silhouettes and characters, originally absent from my early works, gradually found their way into my recent paintings. Introducing human life to my work required a confidence that ended up being instrumental in my exploration of new inspirations, such as the traditional circus. Now sixty-three years old, and following in the footsteps of Cézanne, I find myself drawn to more abstract subjects. The hard work of abstract paintings has forced me to boil down landscapes and scenes to their essence, an exercise in discipline that has found tremendous success among people following my work.
Having inspired the likes of Henri Matisse and Paul Cézanne, the south of France has this inexplicable power of fascination. Having spent my entire life in Provence, I am the continued example of this relationship between an authentic place and its people.
Main Solo and Group Exhibitions
1981: Group exhibition at the Seita (Marseille)
1992: Salon des Artistes Français. Grand Palais - (Paris).
1994: Group exhibition (Beijing - China).
1995: Solo exhibition - Galerie Jouvène - (Marseille).
1998: Exhibition Provencal masters from 1859 to today - Château de la Messardière - Saint-Tropez.
1998 (November): Permanent at the Revel Gallery - Soho - New - York (USA)
1999 (March): ARTEXPO NEW-YORK. Jacob K. Javits Convention Center - New York - (USA)
1999 (June): Solo exhibition: "Recent Paintings". The National Arts Club (New York) (USA)
2000 (May): Group exhibition. Galerie Jouvène in Paris. Paris Fair. (Paris).
2001 (August): Permanent at the Discovery Gallery - Washington - Bethesda - USA.
2002 (August) Permanent at Chrysalys Southampton Gallery - NY - USA
2002 (October) Permanent at the gallery « La campagne » Rotterdam - Holland
2004 (November): Permanent at the ARTS VIVESCO Fine Arts Art Gallery - Quebec
2016 (January): River gallery exhibition - Westport - Connecticut - USA.
2016 - 2017 (November - May) : Fragments : Municipal Archives of Marseille / Courchia / Stern
2022 (February) - Solo exhibition - The EnglishMan fine art gallery - Naples - Florida
2023 (August) - Solo exhibition - Mary Martin Gallery - Charleston - South Carolina
PERSONAL INFORMATION:
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Born in 1955, Board certified endocrinologist, married with four children. I share my time between Provence, South Florida and the Negev Desert.
ACQUISITIONS:
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2007 - Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation, Marseille, France.
2006 - American International Group, Inc. (AIG), USA.
2005 - Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation, Marseille, France.
2002 - Mr. Schmulder Consul General of the Netherlands in Monaco, Roquebrune, France.
2001 - Mrs. Laura Olson Consul General of Panama in Marseille, France.
2001 - Mr. and Mrs. Shinomiya Consul General of Japan in Marseille, France.
2000 - Her Majesty Queen Paola Queen of the Belgians, Brussels, Belgium.
1999 - Jean Bouchard Hospital, Marseille, France.
1999 - The City of Sorgues, France.
1998 - Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation Marseille, France.
1996 - Chamber of Commerce, Marseille, France.
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HONORS AND AWARDS:
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2018 - Special Recognition, 8th Annual “Figurative” Online Art Competition, Light Space & TimeArt Gallery
1998 - First prize, Lyons Club Annual Art Competition, Arles, France.
1992 - Second Place, Les Pennes Mirabeau Art Competition, Les Pennes Mirabeau, France.
1991 - Second Place, Art Contest of the 9thand 10thdistrict, Marseille, France.
BOOKS:
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. Illustrations for: Jean-Daniel Christophe, Le Colporteur des Ames, Ed.Européennes de Marseille-Provence & Jouvene 2001.
. Alauzen Di Genova, Provençal Masters: 1859 to the Present Day,EEMP-Horizon SA 1998.