Pierre Coquet / Oil on canvas

Pierre Coquet (1926-2021) is a French painter who was born in Limas near Lyon, France. He entered the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Lyon in 1942 and followed the teaching of Antoine Chartres, Henri Vielly and René Chancrin. He won a prize in 1945 and joined a movement that wanted to be outside of any school whose name ends with “ism” (like impressionism, cubism…) between figuration and the renaissance of Abstract Art, bringing together young generations under thirty and eager not to submit to any technique.

His main subjects are “assemblages of objects” which evoke the memory of Giorgio Morandi, the roofs of Paris, still lifes, characters in situation, and abstraction. This sincere and modest man, turned inward in a climate of deep meditation, likes to express his feeling that “all painters encounter the same difficulties in wanting to express unspeakable emotions with painting.

Pierre was very sensitive to abstract paintings. He did a lot of abstract works melting colors and shapes in different atmosphere and style. Nevertheless he could come back to figuration and again to abstraction with no precise period of time. Abstract paintings by Pierre Coquet represent a large part of his production. The constant search for balance between shapes and colors as well as his passion for Nicolas de Staël, André Lanskoy, Alfred Manessier… takes him on different paths from what we know of him. His way of painting is strong and thoughtful, the lines stretch out and the harmonious touches, applied with sobriety, reveal a great sense of color.