Who is Bernard Delaval ?
After 40 years of working as a gilder in heritage conservation for the Monuments Historiques and the Musées de France, Bernard Delaval has devoted himself (since 2012) to his own artistic creation. He returns to his first love: terracotta.
Today, Bernard Delaval expresses a contemporary vision with terracotta as a support. The traditional priming layers of rabbit skin glue and chalk are followed by the Armenian bowl, an extremely soft red clay.
The 23.6 carat gold leaves, applied in tempera, magnify the forms by capturing the light. The matte and shiny surfaces obtained by burnishing with agate stone allow for a subtle interplay between shadows and glints that are harmoniously applied to the volumes.
The coloured tints are worked into the mass, using the Chinese lacquer technique based on natural pigments and skin glue.
Bernard Delaval’s sculptures are inspired by traditional work and everyday life.
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