Explore the artistic world of Véronique Aimonetto-Chevalier this month

PA - How long have you been painting?
Véronique - I started painting when I was a small child.

JPA- Are you self-taught or did you study art? If so, what did you study?
Véronique - I studied art history in Toulouse and took practical training at the Academy of Fine Arts in Brive.

JPA - Describe your painting style. What defines your style?
Véronique - I paint modern illuminations. My style follows a form of calligraphy, without any message, using gold leaf and colourful collages made from ink. A form of writing about "beauty", in a way.

JPA - What is your state of mind when you paint?
Véronique - My work is a form of meditation and inner journey.

JPA - Why do you paint? (What is your artistic "Proust's madeleine"?)
Véronique - The dimension of "pleasure" essentially characterises my research work and my quest for beauty. Each of my paintings is a brief moment of eternity.

JPA - Which artists have influenced you?
Véronique - Oriental illumination , the Book of Kells and French medieval illumination have influenced me, as has the contemporary French painter Bissière.

JPA - Among contemporary artists, which ones do you think bring something new to painting or sculpture?
Véronique - Rotko , de Koons, Basquiat, Schneider and Imaie, without a doubt.

JPA - Where would you like to exhibit your work? Why?
Véronique - In a chapel... the ultimate place for contemplation!

JPA - In your opinion, what is the function of art in our societies?
Véronique - Art should bring people together, regardless of their origins, by offering them beauty and joy. This is undoubtedly an idealistic and somewhat utopian point of view, but I fully embrace it, especially in this world of discord and chaos. It is clear that other painters will favour rage or provocation.

JPA - Give us your definition of beauty.
Véronique - Beauty is what brings essentially positive emotions to both the artist and the viewer.