We talk to Hubert de Lartigue about muses and doing your best

Hubert de Lartigue paints photo-realistic portraits that “serve the beauty” of his models, and his muse. He considers “emotion and soul” the most important part of a painting and spoke to us about his working process, inspiration and the impact of his muse, Octavie.

How do you think your experience illustrating for packaging, and later science fiction publishing impacted your work as a painter? There are clear motifs of mid-20th Century advertising in your work – in terms of expression and the references to products like Coca-Cola bottles.

When I was a young man, I wanted to be a science fiction illustrator. But I was doing commercial illustrations for the money because in France we weren’t able to live as science fiction illustrators. But advertising doesn’t make artists happy, so during my spare time I always worked for myself. First, super-heroines, then pin-ups which are both idealised representations of the woman. For this work, I would ask models to pose for me.

Could you tell us about your process? And what is your intention – would you say that you are concerned with the hyper-real?

I had the chance to be collected by Louis K. Meisel, an art dealer and collector specialising in photo-realism and by Charles G. Martignette, who passed away some years ago. I was free to paint only pin-ups and improve my skills and my art. Until I met my muse. My mind was blown away by her beauty. Pin-up style was unable to show the emotions I could feel in front of this model. So, I did big paintings very realistically. I tried to serve her beauty instead to use it for my work. These paintings were very successful and my artistic life has never been the same.

In your site’s biography you mention your muse, Octavie. This working principle doesn’t seem so common now – how would you say Octavie has impacted your work? Is there an element of collaboration?

She was the cause of the beginning of a new Hubert de Lartigue and I will always be thankful to her for letting me paint her beauty for ten years. Now, I am looking for a new muse but she is hard to find because you cannot find her, she finds you!

Could you expand upon the materials you use in the work?

I paint with acrylics on canvas. I use an airbrush and brushes and paint from photographs I have taken of female models. I am not sure that the way I paint is very interesting, except maybe for artists. I think emotion and soul are the most important point of a good painting. During a photo session, I can take maybe 300 photographs, I always choose the best of the model. I try to do my best every time. It could be my last painting. I always think about that.