Portrait
Born in 1990, Bastien Bonhomme is an engineer graduated from Arts et Métiers ParisTech. For several years, the latter both meticulous and grounded, held various positions of responsibility in business sectors such as watchmaking or the automotive industry. In 2018, driven by an irrepressible need to indulge in a manual activity, he naturally turned to sculpture. Indeed, younger, he was fascinated by the job of one of his friends’ father, a sculptor. Precious memories.
Following his impulses and instinct, he then attended two living model classes in Paris. As a real autodidact, he let his creativity express itself freely, thanks to a clay block and a few tools. During the creation process, Bastien Bonhomme is fully overwhelmed by the sensuality emanating from the products and the materials he shapes. His first work, “American Buffalo”, was immediately and fruitfully welcomed, setting the tone for his following pieces of work.
Crédit photo @Yachoki
In 2019, the artist took a necessary break in his career. He took this opportunity to travel and feed his body and soul on his various discoveries. Even though 2020 has become synonymous with lockdown, that year gave Bastien Bonhomme some precious time to dedicate himself to his art. As days went by, from dawn to dusk, the latter put his heart and soul in sculpture and plainly released everything he had within. This is the way the artist came to life, blossomed and met himself for the first time in his life.
This is the animal sculpture that emerged as an obvious choice. Indeed, since his earliest childhood, the artist has been particularly receptive to the wildlife’s beauty and diversity. He likes reinterpreting this fascinating world according to his perception and imagination. Thanks to both his professional background and training, Bastien Bonhomme can rely on prerequisites and skills which form a fertile ground for his artistic creations. 3D visualization is self-evident to him since it helps him imagine the animal he wants to bring to life more easily. This characteristic of his personality is an advantage when he goes to the foundry. Indeed, this profession requiring technical aspects similar to his job, Bastien Bonhomme both masters and understands the inner workings and complexity of the bronze casting process.
His technique and meticulousness are yet a prelude to his exacerbated need for creation. He likes working textures, movements. To this, he adds a real reflection on the animals’ expressions he creates. Very close to human expressions, their airs surprise us and deeply call us to mind. This stance helps us identify to the work and thus mightily strengthens the emotions we feel.
His works trigger a reaction and are a great success. And when one takes a closer look at Bastien Bonhomme’s history, there’s no need to precise this is his true vocation he embraces and claims. In terms of room for improvement, our curiosity is naturally aroused…
Bastien Bonhomme’s work is about technique and application at the service of creativity and emotion. Somewhere between strength and delicacy, depth and candor, his sculptures move us and speak for themselves.