Still Lives
Patrick Eugène is featured in the 12th edition of The Online Gallery, which celebrates his figurative paintings, with a particular focus on their stillness and timeless quality. This edition highlights Eugène's work, offering a reflective space where viewers can engage with the emotional openness of his figures, inviting them into a deeper contemplation of the human experience.
His work, deeply influenced by his Haitian heritage, features neutral expressions that invite personal interpretation, intentionally avoiding political or cultural constraints. Eugène’s artistic process begins abstractly, with layers of paint gradually revealing figures that evoke vulnerability and openness. While his figures are deeply personal, they also reflect universal human emotions, transcending time and place. Eugène seeks to capture a shared human experience, drawing on his spiritual connection to his heritage and family.
Eugène's journey to becoming an artist was unconventional. After a career in finance, he began painting at 27, teaching himself the craft and gaining recognition through social media and mentorship. He eventually left his finance job to pursue painting full-time and is now represented by Mariane Ibrahim Gallery. Living in Atlanta, Eugène has found a creative space that contrasts with his previous experience in New York, where Black artists are often typecast as struggling. He embraces the city’s growing art scene, feeling that Atlanta offers greater autonomy and opportunity. Eugène’s work explores themes of family, ancestry, and dignity, shaped by his nostalgic connection to mid-20th-century Haiti and Black America, where people maintained grace and composure despite hardship.
