The Artist
Born in northern France, Patrice Courcelle pursuing classic study and received a short training at the Beaux-Arts in Lille, which he left to receive direct instruction from several artists on historic art and its requirements.
Become the heir straight, through his parisian master Eugene Leliepvre, of a filiation dating directly back from the Battle Painters of Louis XIV, Courcelle is both an artist and a historian. His documentaries boards scholarly illustrations, paintings also based on extensive historical documentation particularly when taken into account the accuracy of the circumstances, objects, characters and uniforms led him to become a very special recognized expert. His works are published by Belgian, French and British among the most famous specialized publishers. His original paintings actually sell worldwide. Courcelle was invited to exhibit at prestigious places such as the Ecole Militaire in Paris, in Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan ; the castle of Morges (Switzerland) , etc. . In 2013, the Belgian Royal Army Museum in Brussels dedicated a 6 months retrospective exhibition to his artwork.
Author and / or illustrator of articles without number, of more than 80 books on the Napoleonic military history, including more than 25 about the Battle of Waterloo, Courcelle is working since 15 years as co-author and illustrator, a collection entitled "Waterloo 1815 – Le Journal de la Campagne" considered an absolute reference on the subject by amateurs and specialists alike.
The Historic Art
Many are called but few are chosen in this difficult excercise that requires an extensive documentation and advanced knowledge allied to a strong artistic talent. Both knowledge and soul are needed for the practice of this " savant art".
Historic Art involves making artworks and documentary works based on deep information which includes the accuracy of the circumstances, places, scenery, objects, characters , costumes, etc.
Historic Art has little in common with the comic art or the ordinary illustration and nothing to see with the so-call « contemporary painting ». It comes straight from the "Peinture d’Histoire" of past centuries, this kind of art considered as "royal", before the portrait, since the 17th century and up to the beginning of what is known today as the Contemporary Art, since a little more than a century.
Illustrators and / or painters, barely a dozen of artists-historians worthy of the name are currently active in the all world, both with their individual style and their historical periods predilection. Patrice Courcelle is at the forefront of those, internationally recognized by his peers, experts and enthusiasts.
The Contemporary Art becomes sterile and exhausting itself, a strong new interest moved today to this very demanding discipline producing unique works. Thereby, the Historic Art is naturaly admired by the general public and found again its nobelty letters with pure art lovers and investors.
