Jean-Pierre FLOCH (1937 - 2015). "River". Oil on canvas signed lower left, titled and dated 2011 on the back. 80 x 80 cm. Artist biography: "Jean-Pierre FLOCH was born on 19 May 1937 in Toulon. When he was three, his parents left for Dakar in Senegal. The strong colours of Africa left a lasting impression on him and he began painting at the age of 14. At the age of 20, on a whim, he enlisted in the air force, criss-crossing Africa and meeting his first wife, Noëlle, in Morocco in 1958. His career as an aviator finally led him to settle with his wife and 4 children in the Toulouse region in 1966. From 1974, he devoted himself entirely to painting. Dazzled by all the great painters, he has a great admiration for Rembrandt and Van Gogh and a passion for art history. His painting naturally began with figurative compositions, then rapidly evolved towards cubism under the influence of great painters such as Kandinski, Miro and Braque. In the 80s, the great "shock" of discovering the work of Nicolas de Staêl led him to abstract art, which became his pictorial expression. He was fascinated by Estève, Bram Van Velde, Poliakoff, Vierra da Silva, Bissières, Sonia Delaunay, Polizkoff, Soulages and Hartung and many other great painters whose work he admired. He participated successfully in a number of salons, where he won awards. But it was in his studio that he felt most at home, and he did not lend himself easily to the mundanities of vernissages. He exhibited locally and became a member of the Société des Artistes Méridionaux in 1986. He exhibited there until the end of his life. In the 1990s, he settled in Cerbère near Collioure. A painter of the South and the Mediterranean, he produced over 400 works, mainly oils on canvas, as well as pastels, a technique he loved. He was surrounded by artist friends and sold his paintings himself. Painting was the rhythm of his life and he swam almost every day. He died on 11 June 2015 in Cerbère, leaving behind a body of work that was rich in colour, powerful and magnetic.