This last week of Lent before Holy week, I present PAUL AUGUSTIN AIZPIRI who was born in 1919 in Paris but raised in his ancestral Basque country.
His father, a sculptor, sent him to study at the Ecole Boulle Spécialisée dans l'Incrustation et la Marqueterie. However, because of his great love of painting he joined Ecole des Beux Arts in 1936
He studied for three years in the studio of Sabatté. At first he struggled to establish himself as an artist, making a living by repairing furniture and cleaning pictures, before achieving success. In 1939 Paul escaped from a German prisoner of war camp in Brittany and made his way back to Paris.
In 1946 he won a prize at the Salon de la Jeune Peinture, where he exhibited alongside artists such as Bernard Buffet and André Minaux. In the years following WWII, Paul exhibited to great acclaim all over the world.
He is considered one of the great masters of figurative art. The unique characteristics of his artwork is exemplified by his contrasts of warm and cool colors rendered with a light and humorous touch. Paul's Basque heritage is said to have influenced the hot colors and expressionist style of his work and perhaps his great admiration for Vincent Van Gogh has also played a part in his vivid art.
As far as I could research, Paul still paints at his Paris apartment, a French castle and his Saint- Tropez villa, which means he is in his late 90s and still at work. His art is extremely popular throughout Europe and Japan.
