Christian Halna du Fretay : Artist Profile.
Christian Halna du Fretay is a celebrated French painter hailing from Brittany, whose evocative and dynamic works have captivated audiences worldwide. His journey into the arts began at the Académie des Arts Plastiques de Laval, followed by rigorous training at the École des Beaux-Arts de Lorient. Over the years, Halna du Fretay has honed a distinct artistic voice, blending vibrant color palettes with textured compositions that traverse the boundaries of abstraction and figuration. Throughout his prolific career, Halna du Fretay has exhibited extensively across France and internationally. His works have been showcased in prestigious salons such as the Salon Comparaisons, Salon d'Automne, Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, and the Salon des Artistes Français in Paris. His international presence includes exhibitions at renowned venues such as the Metropolitan Art Museum in Tokyo, the Cultural Art Center in Washington, D.C., and the Fine Art Institute in Shenzhen, China. Notable exhibitions in Europe include the Palais des Expositions in Brussels, the Chateau de Fubgonheim in Germany, and Art London in Chelsea. His works are also part of public collections in cities like Lorient in France or Shenzhen in China. In addition to painting, Halna du Fretay has illustrated book covers, such as Prodigieuse victoire de la médecine chinoise and L’appréhension de la beauté, showcasing his versatility as an artist. He has also conducted workshops and courses in locations such as Lorient in Brittany and Viry-Châtillon near Paris, inspiring budding artists with his knowledge and passion. In addition to his artistic achievements, Halna du Fretay actively contributes to the art community as the President of the Société Lorientaise des Beaux-Arts and a member of the ADAGP (Society of Authors in the Graphic and Plastic Arts). His dedication to his craft and his community underscores a career marked by innovation, passion, and a profound respect for the transformative power of art.
Abstract Figuration : Christian Halna du Fretay's Art Technique.
Christian Halna du Fretay has carved a path that uniquely distills figurative subjects into expressive interpretations of volume and chromatic harmony, serving as a synthesis of the compositional depth of Balthus, the chromatic richness of Nicolas de Staël, and the emotive distortions of Francis Bacon. His creative process is rooted in an exploration of the mysterious and dreamlike, as he describes: “Manipulate the material, bring life to the space of the canvas, then, through the color that creates the form, set out in search of a mysterious, dreamlike universe.” This journey into the "improbable probable," as he calls it, embodies his fascination with confronting forms, compositions, values, and colors to breathe life into the very soul of painting. Christian Halna du Fretay’s daily practice involves moments of doubt, persistence, and rediscovery, where he continuously explores the threshold of legibility. He describes this as a process of moving from the familiar to the never-before-seen, oscillating between what has been and what is yet to come. By transforming the mundane into poetry, he establishes a passionate relationship with his inspiration—a flow of dreams and mystery—that becomes his refuge. Halna du Fretay’s process often begins with the blank canvas placed on the ground. He allows spots of color to accumulate intuitively, without adhering to rigid chromatic rules. Observing the work from multiple angles, he identifies key elements such as interplay between colors or textured clusters that form the foundation of his compositions. Alternating between construction and deconstruction, he layers color and texture to create depth and perspective, a process he describes as a binary rhythm driven by the interaction of hues. The art of Christian Halna du Fretay has been described as "the art of suggestion." His paintings invite viewers to enter stealthily, with the sense that other lights and emotions are about to emerge from behind the splashes of color. His works balance vibrations and calm, navigating between the unspoken and the revealed. The absence of details does not signify a lack but instead propels the viewer’s senses to explore every corner of the canvas. His art is like tectonic plates sliding and shifting in a slow earthquake, preparing the ground for the revelation of secrets. Halna du Fretay’s works evoke a profound depth, enticing viewers to sit and feel the wind caress the colors surrounding them. They capture fleeting moments of daily life in its raw state, transforming them into luminous expressions that vibrate and then take flight. Critics have often remarked on the emotive power of his paintings, which reveal hidden depths and evoke a poetic resonance beneath their vibrant surfaces. Through the interplay of color and light, Halna du Fretay suggests a sense of spatiality that immerses the viewer in a universe both dreamlike and fabulous. His works not only explore color as a means of expression but also as a tool to evoke light and emotion, creating pieces that resonate on both visual and emotional levels. By deliberately leaving elements open to interpretation, he invites viewers to embark on their own journey of astonishment and transcendence, completing the painting in their imagination.
Contemporary Shikishi Artworks : Exploring Japanese Traditional Cardboards.
In a partnership with Art San Gallery, Christian Halna du Fretay is delving into a fresh exploration of his artistic technique using Japanese shikishi boards. Shikishi, crafted from high-quality paper mounted on rigid boards, offer a unique surface celebrated in Japan for calligraphy, poetry, and fine art. For Halna du Fretay, this medium provides an opportunity to experiment with the interplay of texture, color, and form in an intimate and focused format. The smooth yet absorbent surface of the shikishi board invites bold strokes and delicate details, harmonizing perfectly with his distinctive synthesis of abstraction and figuration. This collaboration bridges artistic traditions across cultures, merging the vibrant, expressive qualities of his European influences with the refined elegance of Japanese materials. The result is a series of works that celebrate both the tactile and visual aspects of painting, inviting viewers to experience his art through a new lens.
