Based in the lovely city of Québec, Hugo Landry is a painter in his early thirties, recognized as one of the most intuitive and palette-heavy painters of his generation.
Gratified with a career that took off at the same time as he decided to devote himself fully to his art, Hugo Landry is constantly soaking up new knowledge. As an interviewee, his generosity and joy are contagious. He spoke about his most recent trip to Barcelona where, after feeling particularly moved by a Miró painting, it struck him that creating a work does not always guarantee an emotion.
Throughout his travels, the painter, suffused with the pursuit of aesthetics, grasped the importance of the feelings that emanate from his paintings. “During that trip, I realized all that I could let go of while painting. After years of working as a professional artist, I was finally able to comprehend the grand and somewhat abstract concept of letting go. It took seeing Miró, Gaudi and Barcelona to understand it!” he explained, with good humour and humility.
Between travelling and working alone in his studio, Hugo is constantly in the process of creating. “I’m always thinking of names for paintings and always looking for colour combinations. Art is everywhere for me.” The painter’s routine moves between periods of relentless hard work and deep rest. When he takes a break, he gets out of his comfort zone by travelling solo to far-flung cultural destinations.
To get from an idea to a finished work, Hugo follows his instinct, almost blindly. “My creative process is very intuitive. First, the name of a painting comes to me and takes hold of me. The title will set the tone of the work, and the emotion behind it will help me first create… a playlist!” A lover of all kinds of music, the painter’s tastes are eclectic, and the pieces that earn a place in his playlists play on repeat while he works on a painting. “Once the music has emerged, I create the colours. The songs dictate the colours. It’s always the music that directs the hues and rhythm of my paintings.”
Hugo’s world is full of saturated colours, applied energetically with a palette knife on canvas or wood panels. Highly inspired by metallic hues, the painter has a certain weakness for pearl blues, greens and purples. “These colours deliver a vividness that catches the eye. The pigments are almost hidden and only show up under light at a particular angle. I love that!” Like fireworks, the colours explode on the wood and the wood can be seen through them, in a natural yet sophisticated dance.
Fusions of aesthetics and emotions among colour and music, Hugo Landry’s paintings carry a stimulating modern energy that deserves recognition. The Zone is pleased he is an inspirational member of our community.
Paintings inspired by music
"Electrical Storm"
- Thunder, Imagine Dragons
- Derezzed, Daft Punk
- Fort Knox, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
- Starlight, Muse
- Supercut, Lorde
- Go Do, Jónsi
- Kids, OneRepublic
"The Breakthrough"
- Stronger, Kanye West
- Wake Up, Arcade Fire
- A Sky Full of Stars, Coldplay
- Third Eye, Florence and the Machine
"We Believe"
- Wonderwall, Oasis
- Good Riddance, Green Day
- Love for a Child, Jason Miraz
- Yellow, Coldplay
"Heartquake"
- What Goes Around... Comes Around, Justin Timberlake
- Numb, Linkin Park
- 1-800-273-8255, Logic
- Madness, Muse
- Just like a Pill, Pink
