PATRICK LOSTE: TWO FIGURES | ORIGINAL MIXED MEDIA

The energy of a former blacksmith transformed into paint: two presences that spring from the earth.

Dossier of the Work

• Author: Patrick Loste (b. 1955)

• Qualification: Untitled (Couple / Two figures)

• Year: 1983

• Technique: Mixed media on paper

• Dimensions: 32 x 44 cm

• Signature: Signed in the lower right corner.

• Origin: Private collection.

• State: Very good.

Curatorial Analysis: The Alchemist of the Mountain

To understand the power of this paper, you have to know who painted it. Patrick Loste didn't start with a paintbrush, but with a hammer: he was a blacksmith before he was a painter . He lives and works in isolation in the Albères mountains, in a vast workshop surrounded by horses that roam freely.

This biography seeps into his technique. Even in a medium-format work on paper like this one, Loste paints with the physicality of someone who has worked with iron.

1. The Theme: Although famous for his riders and horses ("passers-through of the vastness"), here he applies that same wild vision to the human figure. We see two silhouettes—a man and a woman—that don't seem to be posing, but rather sprouting from the earth. They are what critics call "insubstantial visions," human traces dwarfed by the force of nature.

2. The Material: The palette of earth tones, sepias, and browns is not accidental: they are the colors of his surroundings in Roussillon. Loste does not use color to decorate, but to build atmosphere. The brushstrokes are dense, quick, intuitive; they seek to capture the vital essence of the subjects rather than their physical appearance.

Value of the Piece

• Author: Patrick Loste, a French painter with a solid track record in the contemporary art market.

• Technical Execution: The mastery of wash and pigment is remarkable, achieving smooth transitions between dark and light areas without losing the strength of the stroke.

• Theme: Explicit human figuration is a recurring and valued theme in his work, beyond his landscapes.

Workshop Note

This work on paper functions as a This is a synthesis of Loste's pictorial universe . It is a fragment that condenses his defining characteristics: a palette restricted to earth tones, the abandonment of contour lines, and the complete integration of the human figure into an abstract atmosphere. It is a small-scale demonstration of the same technical and conceptual force he applies to his large canvases.