Paul Laurenzi: Biography, Paintings and "Delicate Scene" Explained

Paul Laurenzi is a French painter born on 15 July 1964 in Antibes, on the Côte d'Azur. He is known for figurative paintings and portraits of women, with sensual, theatrical and often humorous scenes, and for pictures such as Delicate Scene (Délicate scène) that spread widely online. This page gives you a short biography, an explanation of his style, the story behind Delicate Scene, and a gallery of his figurative paintings.

Note: this gallery contains artworks with sensual and erotic themes and is intended for adult readers.

Full name	Paul Laurenzi
Born	15 July 1964, Antibes, France
Nationality	French
Lives and works	The Oise region, northern France
Known for	Figurative painting of the female form, with sensual, parodic and fantasy-inspired themes
Mediums	Oil, acrylic and drawing, plus illustration, posters, book covers and photography
Training	Self-taught
Influences	Toulouse-Lautrec, Manet, Klimt, Balthus, Francis Bacon, Rodin, Dalí, and Cocteau's film Beauty and the Beast
First gallery show	Marseille, alongside works by Bernard Buffet (1991 in the artist's own biography; some profiles say 1987)

Paul Laurenzi - French Figurative Painter

Who Is Paul Laurenzi?

Paul Laurenzi has loved drawing since childhood and is largely self-taught. Before his national service he spent two years working as a skilled carpenter. Afterwards he chose to follow his passion for painting instead of returning to that trade. In 1986 he moved to the Vaucluse, in Provence, where he took on jobs in advertising and children's illustration. There he met the comic author Corteggiani, who encouraged him to keep going.

He then joined an association of painters and sculptors, and its president, the painter Philippe Pierron, introduced him to a gallery in Marseille. His first gallery exhibition, which placed his figure paintings next to works by Bernard Buffet, was a success and marked his entry into the professional art world. His own biography dates that show to 1991, although some gallery profiles give 1987.

Since then he has exhibited in group and solo shows in the south of France and in other parts of Europe. In the 2022 interview, he said the period that marked him most was his time with Les larmes d'Éros, a small Paris gallery that has since closed. Today he lives and works in the Oise region, where he paints at home in the countryside.

Paul Laurenzi's Painting Style and Themes

The female figure. Most of his paintings centre on women. He began by painting friends and people close to him as models and now often works from photographs, which he treats as source material for imaginary scenes.
Transparency and costume. A recurring feature is fabric that hints at the body underneath. Costume plays a large role, and more recently he has explored cosplay-style outfits.
Masks, eyes and watchers. In many backgrounds he places masked figures or an eye, a way of showing the painter himself looking at his model. He has also painted masked figures in the spirit of the Venice carnival.
Beauty and the Beast. He describes Cocteau's film as a strong source of inspiration, especially the tension between a delicate woman and a frightening masculine figure.
Parody and humour. Several works borrow from film, literature and comics. He says he does not like gratuitous provocation.
Abstraction. Alongside the figures, he also paints abstract works in acrylic that explore worn and damaged surfaces, an interest linked to Francis Bacon and Antoni Tàpies.

Delicate Scene (Délicate scène): The Story Behind the Painting

This is the title people search for most. A few facts help clear up the confusion around it:

The artist renamed it. In a 2022 interview with Luxury Splash of Art, Laurenzi said Delicate Scenewas later renamed Bécassine fascine la médecine, which roughly means "Bécassine fascinates medicine".
It is a humorous painting. He describes it as a comic picture inspired by the 1920s, showing a young Breton woman. Bécassine is a French comic-strip heroine, a young Breton housemaid who first appeared in the magazine La Semaine de Suzette on 2 February 1905.
He reworked an existing image. According to Laurenzi, he took an earlier painting, removed a German soldier and a puppet, and replaced them with a doctor in Renaissance dress examining the young woman. The doctor's surprised expression is where the joke comes from.
It reflects his sense of humour. The picture shows how he mixes older imagery, comics and parody, which is typical of many of his works.

The title appears in several forms online, including Delicate Scene, Délicate scène and "Delicate Scene painting". They all refer to the same artwork.

Other Paul Laurenzi Paintings Worth Knowing

In the same interview, Laurenzi discussed a few other works. The notes below paraphrase what he said.

Dark Side Jekill. A parody inspired by Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, with a woman shown in mid-transformation.
La prédatrice. A vampire picture inspired by Dracula. He chose a woman as the predator but says, with a laugh, that this does not mean women in general are predators.
Sensuel est ce rite. A group scene with a priest, a woman in a latex and fitted costume, and a masked figure in the background, showing the different feelings that connect the characters.
Face. A drawing made during the first lockdown, inspired by Natalie Portman's expression.

His Influences

Laurenzi has said he discovered the classics through books. He mentions Toulouse-Lautrec, Rodin and Manet, and later Balthus and Francis Bacon, and his website also lists Klimt. He adds Dalí to the list, although he says he admires the artist more than the man. Learning anatomy from books helped him teach himself to draw the human body.

Frequently Asked Questions About Paul Laurenzi

Who is Paul Laurenzi?

Paul Laurenzi is a French painter, born on 15 July 1964 in Antibes. He is known for figurative paintings of women with sensual, theatrical and humorous themes.

What is "Delicate Scene" by Paul Laurenzi?

It is one of his best-known paintings online, also written as Délicate scène. The artist describes it as a humorous scene inspired by the 1920s, later renamed Bécassine fascine la médecine.