Hervé Graumann / Matthieu Cherubini
Raoul Pictor Mega Painter

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the ficticious painter Raoul Pictor, who was programmed with loving irony in 1993, Hervé Graumann and Matthieu Cherubini developed the free app Raoul Pictor Mega Painter (2013). Fresh paint drips from the RP icon of the app that exponentially multiplies the artistic possibilities with which it equips its protagonist and users.
The personal universe of the artist still immersed in the struggle of creation his works, has remained largely the same. His studio has become more spacious and natural daylight enters through a window. In place of a piano, he now has a bed below the window and also a Macintosh Colour Classic computer on a little table. An original work from 1993 hangs beside his door.
Users of the app can choose from over twelve different styles, which occasionally change, as a basis for the creation of artworks. Once a picture is finished, it can be wrapped and transferred to the user’s own private collection. Raoul Pictor’s personal archive, which he has expanded over the past decades, is also open to visitors.
The app’s AR camera function allows users to insert works from their own collection into any photograph on their iPhone or iPad, enabling their appearance in any imaginable setting or even the creation of virtual exhibitions. The digital collages can be shared on Raoul’s own Instagram account rpctrrr. The app also provides an interface for analogue image production. Users can commission the execution of Pictor’s works as oil paintings. Simply specify the size and the finished Pictor painting is sent to your home. The app gives its main protagonist additional narrative depth by evolving his story. At the same time, it turns users into co-authors and virtual curators of their protégé’s art, multiplying his creativity and spreading it out into the world.
(Text: Bettina Back)