Francois Chartier

Born and raised in Montreal, Chartier was always interested in the visual arts and for 25 years, he toiled as an art director and illustrator in magazine publishing and advertising. Working for many well-established Canadian agencies and having many successes along the way. This all changed when he turned 50, Chartier decided to change course and took up painting full time and he is among the most renowned and revered Hyperrealist artists working today.

Chartier describes his approach to hyperrealism as theatrical. He first must find the right object or objects with which to build a set. He then extensively photographs these objects to ultimately achieve the right composition and lighting. For each painting, he takes hundreds, even thousands, of photos and later uses his Photoshop skills to correct and, in some cases, combine the images. He works from both the selected images and the still life itself.

He works on big canvases to render his subjects larger than life size. His goal is “to capture viewers and make them look at something they know but at a different angle with the smaller details revealed in their beauty and simplicity.” Before painting, he coats the canvas with a gesso base to mute any signs of texture and brush stroke. Weeks later, he adds the finishing touches and varnish.

For purchase enquiries and costs, or to arrange a viewing, please contact our team at info@plusonegallery.com or phone the gallery directly on 020 7730 7656.