In Conversation with Painter Anna Peter-Breton

Originally from Hungary and Kyrgyzstan, Anna Peter-Breton is a self-taught artist living in Paris where she co-directs the creative agency Atelier Casanova.  Peter-Breton’s primary stylistic approach began in a figurative manner inspired by her travels around the world to progressively broaden her evolution as an artist into something more introspective. We had the pleasure of speaking to Anna and delving further into her artistry,

Anna, thanks for taking the time to speak to us about your amazing work. How and when did you fully embrace art as a career?

I already loved painting as a child, and even throughout my secondary education, I pursued art classes. I decided to study business after high school although initially, I wanted to attend an art school. My family’s circumstances made me choose a safer route back then…After my studies, I found my way back to the creative world and I launched my own creative agency in the luxury sector called Atelier Casanova when I moved to Paris. After several years of co-running the agency, it fell upon me that I was missing something in my life, although our business had proven to be very successful. I realized that I need to create on my own and for myself, spend my time with something more meaningful – I also I missed painting. This turning point was not so long ago, in November 2018 I held my first show in Paris after having decided to “dive in” just a few months earlier. Thankfully my entourage was very encouraging, and I immediately got positive feedback and opportunities to sell my work.

How and why did you choose the mediums you work in?

I studied a number of mediums in my art classes, from oils to acrylics, watercolors, and pastels. To me, oils are the top choice for a painter. I find the texture so much richer and smoother to work with, also easier to mix an endless choice of colors as opposed to drying out to fast like acrylics. I also prefer the shiny finish to the duller matte finishes. When I am in my studio and work on bigger formats I always use oils (the water-soluble kind is less toxic). I can make the first layer and leave the canvas for a day or two without worrying that it will dry and continue my work from where I left it. I also love using watercolors, especially when I am traveling (which is quite often) because I can carry my utensils with me everywhere. All I need is my box of paints my brush and my notebook or some watercolor paper. That’s how I started creating my travel books (see more on my Instagram).

Who and what in life has influenced or significantly impacted on your work?

Like all artists, I too am of course continually inspired by great artists of the past and present. It is hard to say who inspired me and when, because it is a continual process. My work first started out with a very figurative direction, directly picturing my life and my travels around the world. These first series are very colorful and perhaps influenced by some of my favorite modern artists, specifically Matisse. My latter work on the female figure and the woman is a very different style, as well as my latest series called Evanescence. The latest pieces were initially inspired by a much older period– the stone statues of the Renaissance, that moved me during our last summer trip to  Italy. The final result was however probably unconsciously influenced by the work of Francis Bacon  – the distorted and vanishing faces…

Do you apply a particular approach when your developing projects or preparing for an exhibition?

I spend quite a lot of time preparing the major theme of a series first. This preparation phase starts with searching for inspirational images (sometimes my own photographs) that I compile, pin up on a wall, and at times use to create mockups or sketches. My ideas are usually quite clear in my mind to as what I would like to express, although the end result is never exactly as planned, I let the creative flow take over at one point. Once I start painting though I always paint directly on to a blank canvas without any underlying sketches, I let the brush guide me and take me wherever I feel at that moment…

To date, what would you say have been your biggest challenges as an artist?

It’s not easy being un upcoming artist, not knowing what the future will hold exactly. The biggest challenge is to keep going and exploring new ideas and techniques, regardless of whether your work will end up being shown in public. The hardest is to keep the faith and not let your doubts take over your thoughts…

 

What advice would you give to young artists embarking on their careers?

Focus on your creation and never stop exploring and fine-tuning your work. Opportunities will arise when you least expect them to if you are true to yourself!

I’m intrigued and attracted to your use of color, contrast, and light. Please tell us more about your latest series of works.  

My latest series was originally inspired by a trip to Italy last summer.

We visited several places with beautiful gardens of the Renaissance period, filled with sculptures and statues. I was moved by the expression of the bodies and faces. This series showcases a collection of faces and hands depicting a panel of human emotions and states – desire, passion, … a vanishing face, or a dancing arm. The brush strokes are blurred and each piece is on a solid color background so the faces seem to appear and disappear in the distance.

What was the inspiration for your older works, with the themes of womanhood and voyage?

I enjoy depicting the human figure, and specifically that of the female. I find that the body and expressions of the face are an interesting subject, and I decided to explore the woman’s body more in-depth with some up-close pieces of different parts of the body and a few larger pieces of the figure in full. This series is very sensual, the texture of the paint is very thick, applied using only a knife, the colors very vivid and deep… This series could very well represent my own emancipation as a woman and a mother.

My first series called Voyage – is a collection of memories of moments that I lived throughout my travels around the world. Each piece is a real moment lived and shared with family or friends, it represents my traveling life in the past ten years.

What importance do you place on the visual arts and the role of contemporary artists in modern society?

Visual artists have the magical talent of expressing feelings and bringing out emotions in us through their images. They enable people to see and feel things that they would otherwise not be able to, like taking an emotional journey. The same goes for other artistic mediums like the talent of a great actor in cinema. It’s the ability to make people dream and travel through a piece of art. I think this is essential for humans, we all need to be able to dream and feel things intensely, to escape a little…

Do you think the way the public engages with art and connects with artists will change significantly, post the pandemic?

The pandemic period is not over yet, but it has already brought out a significant amount of anxiety and stress in people. Art in general will play a key role in helping people see past this difficult time, and think of other things, to free us from our fears and focus on the beauty of life and creation. People will be more thirsty for culture, for art and inspiration, and in a way, artists will also represent a certain freedom that we lost during this period.

What are you currently working on?

I am currently finishing another travel-inspired project on one of my favorite places in the world, Italy. I hope to be able to show more soon, but I already shared a few sneak peaks on my Instagram account. I worked on it during the lockdown period in France and I hope to finish it by the end of the summer.

 Where can our readers find out more about you?

My website is annapeterbreton.com and my Instagram where I post regularly is annapeterbretonartist.

 

We wish Anna the very best wishes

Anna Peter Breton Photographed by Jean Francois Jassaud

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