This interview features the remarkable Lea Laboy, an innovative oil painter celebrated for exquisite still-life compositions. Known for meticulous attention to detail and unique colouristic analysis, Lea's work transcends traditional boundaries, inviting viewers to explore the profound beauty in everyday objects.

In this interview, Lea shares the inspiration behind the stunning paintings and discusses the philosophy of 'pure art,' a principle that underscores the artist’s commitment to creating meaningful and enduring works of art.

Join us as we uncover the layers of Lea Laboy's artistic journey, passion for still life, and unwavering dedication to the art form.

Lea Laboy. Image courtesy of the artists.

SAH: Lea, can you tell us the inspiration behind your stunning still-life paintings? What drives you to focus on this particular genre?

LL: From my point of view, still life is the noblest painting subject. A painter can control the composition, form and colour, which allows him to "create art for art's sake".

I think that painting depicting still life is a bit like salty chocolate, everyone likes chocolate (except me) but not necessarily of the salty variety. Still life is simply a niche topic. You know, it's not an act that will attract a male audience, it's not even flowers that will move a female audience, it's raw still life in all its everyday beauty.

So all you have to do is get out of your comfort zone and feel it.

I am amazed when I look at an ordinary metal spoon. I see it there are at least several dozen different shades in it, but when I ask someone what's the colour of this spoon, they all unanimously say that it is grey, but this is only a half-truth resulting from the fact that they "don't look" and therefore "don't see".

When you teach someone to look, you open up new opportunities for them to experience reality and this is magic because the way of looking can change what we see and how we perceive it. Still life awakens a person's sensitivity to the beauty of form, proportion and colour, so for me, it is a natural choice because this is where I fully realize my creative assumptions.

Lea Laboy. Red Clover. Oil on cardboard.

SAH: Your technique in oil painting is quite remarkable. Could you walk us through your process from start to finish?

LL: The starting point in my work is many hours of observation combined with colouristic analysis. This is the moment when I determine what the character of the still life will be. I only work with three primary colours with a small amount of white. I never use the colour black because it does not exist in nature as such, and thus creates a visual "hole" in the image, being a foreign element in it.

I always paint on cardboard, which I prepare according to the recommendations for painters from the end of the 19th century. Previously, I worked on canvas, which I prepared myself according to the method given to me by the professor.

However, I gave it up for two reasons, first all because I don't like the texture of the canvas, and secondly because the quality of the canvas, which mainly comes to the European market from China, is very poor. The canvas stretched on the loom cannot pass the elasticity test because it cracks at the first attempt. When it comes to paints, these are, of course, oil paints that contain a high percentage of pigments.

Summing up, my painting "lives" in my imagination before the last brushstroke touches it.

SAH: We've noticed a lot of intricate details and textures in your work. How do you achieve such realism in your paintings?

LL: I am an impressionist who draws from nature, but not a realist, much less a photorealist, as my painting is increasingly often incorrectly described. My goal is not to faithfully copy the object but to convey its fleeting nature. If you look closely at my painting, you will see many brushstrokes in the same place, but you will also see that the contour does not define the form.

This kind of "inaccuracy" is intentional because it is the colour combined with the light that defines the form. It took me a long time to realize and accept this. I had to allow myself to abandon the contour without remorse. conscience that I was moving away from painting perfection. It was a step in the opposite direction and a breakthrough in my understanding of painting, which I owe mainly to Monet and Boznańska.

The further from perfection, the more spectacular the effects of conveying the nature of the object, because beauty is not perfection, but everything that reaches its limit but does not cross it.

Lea Laboy. Morning in the Forest. Oil on cardboard.

SAH: How do you choose the subjects for your still-life compositions? Is there a particular story or theme you aim to convey through them?

LL: As I have already mentioned, my painting is not limited by style. The main principle is to study the interactions of colors, form on form, light on color, etc. to constantly enrich your painting language. The principle should be, of course, that the object itself is not important and that it acquires its importance through the context in which it is located.

Of course, I'm only human and sometimes my preferences prevail. My favourite material is glass because it gives me a substitute for painting air (something that is obviously impossible for anyone to paint). I also like to paint metal and the roots and stems of wildflowers. I also often move towards wilting or damaged flowers because in this form they gain expression for me.

SAH: Your website mentions exploring "pure art" that examines and questions reality. Can you elaborate on how this philosophy influences your artwork?

LL: I was lucky that from the very beginning of my adventure with art I stayed in the environment of artists who had their significant pla