Alsatian Folk Art - Pascal Hausser

Located in Sessenheim, our workshop is nourished by a land of varied influences. The proximity of the high places of pottery (Soufflenheim and Betschdorf) as well as the Palatinate influence our creations which, although inspired by the Alsatian Popular Art and their traditions, are nevertheless innovative and creative while allowing this art to exist and evolve in a modern universe. We are particularly proud to be able to present an original style created in a typically Alsatian renaissance language, with a simple and clear composition and a luminous chromatism. Pascal Hausser was born in 1959 in Soufflenheim, a village of potters in the north of Alsace, to parents who were second-hand dealers. He became interested in painting at an early age in his father's workshop, picking up old motifs on furniture and learning about the restoration and reproduction of polychrome paint. Numerous visits to the studio of the late illustrator Pavel Canda aroused his curiosity and led him to learn about the history of art, styles and painting techniques. The attraction for Alsatian popular art and the pleasure of handling the old works of the great Alsatian illustrators such as Hansi, Loux, Kauffmann, Spindler..... quickly lead him to secular painting under glass or fixed. After secondary school and a literary baccalaureate, his artistic career continued with less imposing pieces such as pins or decorated eggs. But old utensils such as milk jugs or coffee pots seemed to offer him the ideal means of creating a truly popular art. Using a palette of pastel colours, he sought to create a harmony of hues with musical overtones, favouring chromatic balance in his compositions, showing bouquets of flowers or characters moving in a timeless universe. In order to survive, popular art must go beyond the stage of the copy, a pale reflection of the creation of yesteryear. The evolution of materials opens up new paths and perspectives. At the beginning he participated in several exhibitions in the framework of art and leisure associations during which he tried to make the public aware of this ancestral technique fallen into oblivion that was painting under glass. The success was immediate. Since then, his creations can be found on the local markets of the region, Easter and Christmas markets. Two television appearances on the programme "C'est mieux le matin" as a guest of Eric Vial and on the 12/13 programme on FR3 Alsace earned him the recognition of an increasingly large public. His creations have since crossed the borders of France. A popular painter, a convinced craftsman, he likes to see himself in the shoes of those painters who were to be found in almost every Alsatian town in the 19th century.