"Feux d'astres noirs" by Jean-Paul Marcheschi at Maison Vaincourt
The union of flame and leather, of earth and light... It is from the depths of the universe, where fire, the natural and sacred element of life, surfaces. If contemporary painters sometimes forget that they have been "Homo Pictor" for 35,000 years, Jean-Paul Marcheschi awakens this memory inscribed in the entire history of humanity. Linking the past to the contemporary is the journey that this artist offers us with a particular technique straight out of the prehistoric caves: drawing with black smoke.
Like the phoenix, it rises from its ashes in the face of the race of time, it immortalizes between the paths of light a kind of calligraphic memory... In the light of its "brush of fire" it gives birth to stellar and darkly luminous works...
A solar tear emerges from the black, using soot, smoke or candle wax. Playing on the material, the contrasts of light, his work flies through time and space. Accompanied by the leather worked by the craftsman Thibaut Favre de la Paillerie who shapes it in his Atelier Elisabeth Schmitt at the bend of the rue de la soudière in Paris, creates an alchemy between the earthly fire of the artist Jean-Paul Marcheschi and the birth of a second life of the leather goods.
The artist's gesture and that of the leatherworker are drawn from the same knowledge, that of the ancestral man. The art of painting the human body is as old as the work done by man to clothe himself. These two artisans of the human gesture are both brought together for the occasion of a joint exhibition at the contemporary light cave that is the Maison Vaincourt. This house located in the heart of the fashion capital is a space of culture and fashion for these leather accessories which respect to the letter the heritage of the French know-how. The handbags and belts are stamped "made in France" and play on this tradition. The customer goes to this space to make an accessory according to his desires on already established bases. This is how the work of the craftsman sublimates that of the fire artist.
The house of Vaincourt innovates and transmits us the passions of this painter and this craftsman who play with the same artistic gesture for the exhibition. Vaincourt offers belts to be worn like haute couture jewellery, which in turn act as a natural second skin for the wearer. This luxury player works on comfort and discretion, which is not seen but experienced.
It is an inner adventure, such is the French definition of luxury leather goods. To our great delight, this house plays with the notions of desire and requirement. Thus the needle, brush, scissors, compass, thread cutter, iron and blade of Thibaut compete with the flame, soot or wax of Jean-Paul Marcheschi.
They both work with a raw material to sublimate it. The union of flame and leather, earth and light magnifies the House of Vaincourt for our greatest pleasure.
