Nicolas Party is renowned for his vibrant and surreal portraits, employing soft pastel to create figures that challenge and captivate. His work stands out in the contemporary art scene for its unique blend of intensity, fluidity, and an idiosyncratic choice of medium. Party transforms his subjects into abstracted, biomorphic shapes, imbuing them with deeper connections and meanings. His portraits, characterized by saturated colors and delicate textures, exist within a fantastical universe of characters and motifs, where perspective is both heightened and skewed to an uncanny effect. This distinctive visual language has been shaped by Party's early interest in graffiti and has evolved to include major commissions that reflect his innovative approach to installation and presentation (Hauser & Wirth).
Party's exploration of pastel as a primary artistic medium is deeply influenced by his admiration for historical figures such as Rosalba Carriera, a Rococo artist who elevated pastel to a fine art medium in the 18th century. Carriera's work, particularly her enchanting pastel portraits, has inspired Party to engage in a creative dialogue with her legacy. This conversation was notably materialized in his site-specific mural installation at Frick Madison, which celebrates Carriera’s 350th birthday. The installation juxtaposes Carriera's 18th-century Portrait of a Man in Pilgrim’s Costume with Party's own 21st-century pastel portraits, creating an immersive experience that spans centuries through the medium of pastel (TheCollector).
In his recent exhibition "L’heure mauve" at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA), Party's portraits, along with his landscapes and sculptures, draw upon a wealth of art historical references and personal inspirations. The exhibition, set against a selection of works from the MMFA's collection, encapsulates Party's profound engagement with the natural world and the history of art. The title "L’heure mauve" itself, referring to the fleeting moment when twilight casts purple hues over the landscape, speaks to Party's fascination with moments of mystery and beauty. This exhibition is an exploration of the ties that bind humans to nature, illustrated through Party's unique lens, which combines the fantastical with the subtle (Index).
Party's portraits are not just about the figures they depict but are also a reflection of his broader artistic inquiries into the nature of representation, the manipulation of perspective, and the interplay between the historical and the contemporary. Through his work, Party invites viewers into a world where the familiar becomes otherworldly, challenging our perceptions and encouraging us to see beyond the surface.
