LOUYZ

LOUYZ – WHEN PERSONAL HERITAGE BECOMES URBAN HISTORY

August 2019 – 1737 words

A FAMILY LEGACY

How important has transmission been in your artistic journey?

I was born into a family of artists; it's been my environment since I was very young. It would have been almost strange for me to go work in an office, with set hours and a routine. This real support was a blessing, because I know it can be difficult for a young person wanting to break into this field without family support. My grandfather, Fabio Rieti, is a pioneer of urban art. He started in the 1960s alongside his stepfather, the architect Emile Aillaud, creating numerous murals and mosaics. A muralist, he notably created the false windows of the Centre Pompidou in 1976 and the Pedestrian area of Les Halles In 1979, my mother, Leonor Rieti, quickly began collaborating with him on numerous murals before I, in turn, followed the same path. I must have been in my early twenties when I started working closely with my mother (over ten years ago), initially helping her build a website before participating in her projects. Today, we paint together, sometimes with the help of my grandfather who, although now ninety-four years old, can still create models or small paintings, even if he no longer climbs scaffolding!

With your family heritage, what is your perception of the evolution of urban art?

In my grandfather's time, it was mostly public commissions. Today, offering someone a wall is seen as an opportunity: it's harder to get paid. Since painting is my profession, I do more commissions than wild art. But going out with glue and a pole to put up a few collages brings a different mindset and provides a certain adrenaline rush.

For one of my recent collages, my mother was there, and if my grandfather could, he'd come with us! I also have a two-year-old daughter. Every time she comes into the studio, she sees a new painting and recognizes everything. She's already trying to grab our brushes. Since she's been immersed in this world her whole life, she's sure to develop a keen sense of observation.

For your grandfather Fabio Rieti, the purpose of a painted wall is to provoke a reaction in the person looking at it. Do you agree?

A painted wall catches the eye of passersby, and you shouldn't dwell too much on whether it's controversial or not. When I painted this lizard in Butte-aux-Cailles, an elderly neighbor was furious, asking if I'd had the necessary permits and arguing that she didn't want to see it from her window, even though I hadn't started yet. It's always difficult to hear that when I'm painting, because I do it willingly, without being paid. But you have to try to ignore it, otherwise you'll never get anything done! In these situations, I try to be polite, so as not to alienate people. In the end, she was happy with the result. In this particular case, the wall was damaged, and I had to scrape and plaster it before I could even begin painting.

DECEPTIVE PROJECTS

How do you compose your commissioned trompe-l'oeil works in the studio?

I often create a model beforehand, photographing the space and taking measurements. This allows me to visualize the final design in Photoshop to show the client. The space where the set will be placed is very important, especially its height from the floor, which will affect perspective and lighting. When creating a set for a private residence, we always start by observing the direction of the light, as well as the furniture arrangement, to determine the main viewpoint. This helps us position the architectural elements and the characters, who should have a slightly averted, outward gaze.

So, what are the differences in the treatment of architectural elements depending on the planes on which they are located?

The foreground is crucial in trompe-l'œil. It establishes scale: when an element is life-size, it immediately deceives the eye, which is why it's rendered in greater detail. Conversely, one must be careful not to add too much detail to a distant element in painting. In this composition, the Eiffel Tower is very far away, and nothing would have prevented us from adding small lights, or even an elevator, but that would make the image appear closer. The most distant objects must remain somewhat blurred, as our gaze isn't meant to perceive them.

This illusionistic aspect differentiates your commissioned work from your personal work.

What we create in trompe-l'œil is very decorative. It's interesting because it teaches you how to paint, how to play with light, and how to spot common mistakes in painting. It's a foundation similar to what classical ballet represents in relation to other dance styles. Trompe-l'œil also hones your eye and sense of observation, helping you identify shapes, colors, and shadows. Each stroke can completely change the appearance of a drawing or a face, making a character smile or not.

Another distinctive feature of muralism is the scale of the projects undertaken.

I love being on the scaffolding, knowing I'm practically the only one with that view at that moment. But painting large walls is an enormous undertaking. It requires a pre-established plan, a good model with measurements. We use a string with powder taut to create a grid on the wall and establish reference points. The design itself is also gridded so it can be reproduced. Without calculations, it's impossible to paint across ten stories. When creating a trompe-l'œil, we always pay attention to the surrounding environment. If there are windows or a specific roofline, we use the same motifs so that the finished project resonates with the neighborhood.

Do you work on the collage, or sometimes also directly on the wall?

We created a large mural in Saint-Cloud, a building facade. We work directly on-site because we wouldn't put up a 15-meter-high canvas. Nevertheless, some things can be done on canvas, and some murals my grandfather created over thirty years ago using this technique are still there. In our Doha project, we prepare everything in the studio. Instead of going there for a month, occupying the space with paints and scaffolding, everything is planned in advance. This way, the installation only takes a day, which suits everyone, and there's absolutely no difference once the work is finished. Each technique has its advantages and disadvantages, and we use the most appropriate one depending on the project.

A PERSONAL AND COLORFUL URBAN WORK

A dreamlike dimension is often found in your work.

I work with my mother on custom projects for private clients or the public sector. For Doha, the theme was Paris in 1900. Alongside this, I practice my own urban art, in which I like to incorporate elements that evoke nature, like the Amazon rainforest, large leaves, colors, animals, lizards… These are two different worlds that nonetheless complement each other. I love being able to express myself according to my own choices and desires, without constraints, using my own colors and letting my imagination shine through.

What does the personal component of your work bring you?

A few months ago, I created a large lizard climbing a wall on Rue Alphand in Butte-aux-Cailles, as part of the Lézards de la Bièvre project, as well as another one on the Dalle des Olympiades in the 13th arrondissement.^e district of Paris. When you are given a wall, the possibility of expressing yourself is incredible, as if a part of ourselves remained there, carrying everything we wanted to convey to people.

What are you trying to evoke in the viewer?

Wonder, curiosity, but also the act of looking up to discover something we wouldn't have otherwise seen. That's why I use a lot of color, or oversized animals, because then we feel like we've entered their world and become tiny. I paint a lot of lizards, whose skin allows me to use a multitude of colors. Moreover, everyone finds a different animal in them: for some it's Godzilla, for others it's a gecko, or even a crocodile!

What is the particularity of the street as a space for creation?

I believe it's about connecting with people, encouraging them to reflect, to look at their surroundings. For me, these gray walls are just begging to be painted, and I love seeing the public's reactions, as well as the work of other artists. The street is an open art gallery: let's paint this grayness so that children will look up and be curious, instead of staring at their screens. Whether we like them or not, these walls bring a unique quality, spark discussion, and encourage open-mindedness.

What is your perspective on the ephemeral nature of urban art, given that you create both collages with a limited lifespan and permanent murals?

At first, I struggled to create in the street, worrying that my collages could disappear the next day. I started with commissioned works, which, even in urban spaces, would remain for years. So I began by pasting up unique pieces, before realizing they could be torn down. I then opted more for reproductions, although the best approach remains painting on location or creating original pieces. Now I believe that the ephemeral is an integral part of street life. It even makes it more vibrant, and it's possible to retrace the same route several times, seeing the walls constantly changing and offering us a new perspective.

Paintings that stand the test of time sometimes reveal themselves in a comical way: about twenty years ago, my mother created an Italian-themed mural in a pizzeria, which later became a kebab shop. Because they liked the painting, it has remained from that era. These painted walls that we created, or those that my grandfather painted, are a page of my life and my history, like a trace of our presence, and I hope that my daughter will be able to see them for years to come, just as I can now.

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