Art

Emile Bellet was born in Provence, France in 1941. He began to paint at 5 years old and by the age of 19 he held his first exhibition in 1960. When he was only 12, Emile won first prize in a national art journal. In 1976, his career began in earnest when he was noticed by Galerie Guigne. Bellet completed the stained glass windows of the church “Notre Dame de Bon Voyage” (Our Lady of Happy Travels) in 1978, in Port de Bouc, France – a beautiful display of his talent. He was also commissioned by the Alpine Maritime Region to paint the work, “Travaux des Champs” (Work in the Fields).

Bellet is a self-taught artist who has aligned himself with the discipline of the Fauves (French for “wild beasts”) — a school of artists who lived at the turn of the 20th century that includes Matisse, Cézanne, Dufy, and Vlaminck. They painted in vivid non-authentic color and Emile has mastered this discipline with an impasto knife, using highly saturated colors to paint his elongated mannerist forms. Bellet loves his brushes and oil paints. When he began painting, there were no acrylics, and his love for his favorite tools increased.

He enjoys painting “en plein air” as the Impressionists did, choosing to paint the villages and scenery from his native France. He lives high up in the mountains, taking in the breathtaking colors of the Mediterranean that suit his painting perfectly. By painting outdoors, Bellet feels like he is bringing a small piece of Van Gogh to our time.

Every morning, Bellet rises very early and eases into his activities of the day – what he calls his “second breathing state.” He arranges flowers, tends to his olive trees, and decodes the various themes of his paintings in his head. He thinks about his paintings for hours, has lunch, and begins working around noon for the rest of the day.

He has held numerous exhibits in France: Grenoble, Aix en Provence, Cannes, Marseille, Lyon, and Megeve. He has also held numerous exhibitions overseas: Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Switzerland and Japan (Gallery Mainichi). He currently enjoys permanent exhibits in Cannes, Lyon, Salon-de-Provence, Grenoble, Toulon and Annecy. His impressive resume also includes illustrations for “Les Cahiers d’Art, Regards vers Ailleurs, Empreintes” (The Notebook of Art, A Look Beyond Printmaking).