What does TIPTOE look like through the eyes of an artist?
Constantly in search of inspiration, we gave artists carte blanche to adapt our pieces in their universe. It’s a way of mixing two creative fields and discovering TIPTOE from a different perspective. Today, make way for Mathilde Polidori, a painter and muralist based in Paris. Through her oil paintings and monumental murals, she explores and dissects the emotional and sensual nuances of the faces around her. Her work is broken down into exploratory series around femininity, masculinity, looks, otherness and the couple. Focus.
Hello Mathilde, can you introduce yourself? What is your background?
My name is Mathilde Polidori, I am 35 years old, I am a painter and muralist in Paris. I have set up my studio in the heart of my family home, in Bagnolet in the east of Paris. I have a rather atypical artistic background. I have always been passionate about drawing and painting. As a child, I spent my time drawing and testing all possible graphic arts. I put this passion aside to devote myself to a career in communication and fashion. I worked for almost 10 years as a communications manager for Isabel Marant. I came back to my first love a few years ago and there was never any question of putting aside this way of expression. I gave up my comfortable and well-paid job to devote myself 100% to my creative work.
How would you describe your creative world?
Through my oil paintings and monumental murals, I explore and dissect the emotional and sensual nuances of the faces that surround me. My work is divided into exploratory series around femininity, masculinity, looks, otherness and relationship. Colour and pigments occupy a central place in my paintings, I move away from the natural tones of the skin to reconstruct the faces by successive flat tints of colour. This gives depth and an enigmatic aspect to my subjects.
Where do you get your daily inspiration from?
With the people around me. I take pictures in soft moments, often at the end of the day on weekends after a long lunch with my friends or family. This is the best time, they are perfectly relaxed and the light illuminates the faces beautifully. I also take pictures of strangers who are willing to take a meditative sunny pose.
How important is your home to you? What does it say about you?
I attach a lot of importance to my interior. I like to create a warm and welcoming space. Always have flowers, lights everywhere and lots of seats and tables to accommodate all my friends. It’s important to be comfortable when there are lots of people. And to have different spaces for all the times of exchange: meal at the table, coffee table aperitif, small table for the children, cosy TV corner. And now that I work from home, it’s even more important for me.
What is your vision of TIPTOE?
It is a brand that is close to people, functional and design, ready to adapt to our daily needs. Discreet and strong. It’s simple and yet you can identify a TIPTOE piece at a glance.
Why did you accept this project with TIPTOE?
I didn’t hesitate for a second. It’s a brand I’ve been following since its inception. I really like the idea of being able to combine a design piece – the metal leg – with any tray that potentially carries a particular story. And I’ve been wanting to paint a piece of furniture for a while. I find it inspiring to paint a ‘useful’ surface. And to imagine that the work will age differently, will develop a patina with use. I thought of working on two benches to include them in my series of paintings that explore otherness. A couple, two faces that fit together if you bring the benches together. I called them “The Other Half”. A few weeks after making the benches, I painted a huge oil on canvas with these same 2 faces, I called it “Reunited”.
A recent creative discovery to share with us?
I love discovering contemporary painters, and for that Instagram is a gold mine:
Marguerite Piard @margepiard, Camille Cottier @camillecottier, Léa Simonhy @lea.simhony, Ana Leovy @analeovy, Aire Calderon @aiiiire, Anne-Sophie Tschiegg @Tschiegg69. I’ll stop here but I could make a very long list!
A Parisian address to share with us?
My favourite museum, the Centre Pompidou. I can never get enough of it, as the permanent exhibitions are incredible and the temporary exhibitions always well thought out and unmissable.
photo : @angelinalzi
