Painting Olivier au matin by Rey Julien | Painting Figurative Nature Gold leaf Lacquer

Although he has achromatopsia (absence of color vision), Julien Rey takes us on a journey through his paintings to urban landscapes. Julien Rey's story begins like all great stories: with an impossible dream. With achromatopsia, the artist sees only in black and white. Yet, this condition did not prevent him from traveling to the borders of Burma, from changing his life (he became a Buddhist monk there) or from embarking on art. From his trip to Burma, he brought back a perfect mastery of gold leaf, a characteristic element of his work. His technique based on lacquer worked with a knife and gold leaf inlays places light at the center of his works. Marked by Zen philosophy, he creates minimal compositions that appear as suspended moments, poetic pauses.