Surreal, mesmerizing and eerie in its own way, Alexandra Levasseur depicts females in distress amidst surreal landscapes that seem to be coming out of a dream. Her paintings consist of central issues explored, such as fear, desire and love where the paintings are a little reminiscent of Salvador Dali and Max Ernst. We sit down and get to know Alexandra's work a bit better.
I live in Montreal and rent a studio very close to my apartment.
I like to use a mix of oil painting and coloured pencils, usually on paper or wood panel. I was influenced at a very early age by my grandmother who used to paint. It never left me. There was a lot of mystery and depth in her paintings, a strange and powerful world that would hypnotize me.
The French symbolists have always been a great source of inspiration: Gustave Moreau, Odilon Redon, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, etc. Also Edvard Munch, Matisse and Gauguin. Regarding contemporary painters, I really enjoy the work of Canadian artists Marcel Dzama and Kim Dorland. Filmmakers Maya Deren and Alain Resnais are very important to me too.
My characters mostly represent fear, confusion, angryness and desire toward their environment. The figures and backgrounds merge together in a physical relationship, it is some kind of investigation about the origin of the enigmatic beauty of nature.
I develop an idea. I do a series of sketches from collages I make, and I work simultaneously on various pieces, allowing one to dry between oil paint layers.
Yes! I like the series to have a similar colour palette. I plan it in advance, when doing the sketches.
I am finalizing the work to be exhibited in my solo show in 2 weeks! From May 4th to 31th at Galerie Roccia, Montreal. I'm also working on an animated videoclip and preparing for a new large scale series.