Victor Spahn featured in book on Gordes artistic history

Park West artist Victor Spahn is inspired by the landscapes he sees and visits, so it’s no wonder that due to his love of his homeland, he is featured in a new French publication.

Spahn is one of the artists who is showcased in “Gordes: Le temps des artistes,” the last book in a trilogy noting the talented artists related to Gordes, a commune located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte in southeastern France.

The author, Gérard Lebouchet, provides details of artists who have lived, worked in or are otherwise are associated with Gordes. The village is considered a melting pot of talent, with Spahn included alongside great artists such as Marc Chagall, Victor Vasarely, Jack Pollock and photographer Willy Ronis.

“It is a good feeling for me,” Spahn says of being named alongside prominent artists.

Victor Spahn working on a drawing inspired by Gordes (Photo courtesy of Victor Spahn)

Spahn has been painting for more than 35 years. He is a second-generation Russian, born in Paris, who has come to be known as “the painter of movement,” his paintings often depicting activities like sailboat races, dancers, rugby matches, bullfights and other energetic scenes.

He uses a combination of palette knife and brush in the creation of his works, whether they’re scenes of motion or landscapes.

“The energy I have in my body I put in my paintings,” he says.

Earlier this summer, photographers visited Spahn at his house in Oppede, located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, earlier this summer to capture images of the artist working in his studio, inspired by the land around him.

Spahn says the photos will be used in tourism, showing tourists and others some of the more prominent attractions in the area.

As flattering as all the attention is, Spahn says he isn’t allowing himself to have a “big head” about it. Instead he is using it for inspiration.

“What you have to do is work better and better,” he says.