Robert Semelle, the traveling painter

Indeed, although living in La Londeles-Maures, Robert Semelle cannot content himself with painting only the wonderful landscapes that make the town the most beautiful commune of Var. “I am always in search of ‘that little extra’ that will set me apart from my colleagues,” admits the former postman, who sets off every year to discover new landscapes during his travels.

LANDSCAPES AND HISTORY

He explains: “I set off in Var first of all (Hyères, Bormes-les-Mimosas and Le Lavandou), but also in Drôme provençale (Nyons in the enclave des Papes), in Italie (Capri and Venise) and, especially, in Espagne where I escape every year for long stays dedicated to creation. Here, I stop every year in a small Spanish port where I am, from now on, known like a white wolf. My journey beyond the Pyrénées has thus taken me as far as Andalousie, a region I am particularly fond of and where I am returning next October.” Everywhere on the tracks of Semelle, we discover landscapes that make up the history of the places where he sets up his easel. Regarding his production, he adds: “In each work, one feels this blue, the color of Provence and Méditerranée, which so strongly characterizes the towns and villages of the Arc Sud. The only thing missing is the scent of lavender fields, a painting I refuse to paint because it is too overused. Among the most appreciated works, the landscapes of La Londe (l'Argentière and Pellegrin beaches, the Bormettes path along the old factory, the bank of the Maravenne) are unanimously acclaimed. But for me, the work I love the most is a painting done on the painters' path in Saint-Clair (Le Lavandou) where I painted the chapel because it particularly symbolizes the landscapes of Provence.” Visiting the gallery, an English teacher from Lycée Jean Aicard in Hyères raved about the colors of the paintings: “It is truly Provence, especially the one depicting an olive grove. Real postcard landscapes!” That says it all! Indeed, Robert Semelle is often told that his paintings look like postcards. He explains: “Indeed, when I started painting in the early 80s in Paris, I was approached by studios that wanted to use my paintings to make postcards, but the deal didn't go through!”