Emmanuel Barcilon uses a material consisting of varnish mixed with pure pigment which he applies multiples layers of paint to the wooden surface. He often intervenes during this painting process to add graphic elements such as, anatomical drawings, words and newspapers clippings before continuing to apply more coats of paint. 

It can take him almost a year to complete a painting as colour is poured over a wooden support then sanded and reworked over time, each fresh coat never completely eliminating the previous one. This gives a sense of memory to the pieces, which in some instances is immediately visible, whilst in others almost imperceptible to the naked eye. 

 

Emmanuel Barcilon was born in 1967 in Paris. He works and lives in Paris.
He graduated from the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Cergy. Barcilon has had numerous international solo and group exhibitions: Contemporary Art Centre, La Rochelle; Contemporary Art Centre, Atelier d’Estienne, Pont-Scorff; Biennale d’Issy and Art Senat, Orangerie du Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris.
Barcilon's paintings are regularly acquired for private and public collections such as the Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation, Steven J. Guttman collection (Centre Pompidou Foundation) ; Collection de la ville d’ Issy-les-Moulineaux and Centre Culturel Franco Nigérien de Niamey.