TIPTOE by Mathilde Polidori
TIPTOE through the eyes of an artist—what does that look like?
Constantly seeking inspiration, we gave artists carte blanche to reinterpret our pieces through their own universe. A way to bring two creative fields together and discover TIPTOE from a different perspective. Today, make way for Mathilde Polidori, a painter and mural artist based in Paris. Through her oils on canvas and her monumental wall paintings, she explores and dissects the emotional and sensual nuances of the faces around her. Her work is structured into exploratory series around femininity, masculinity, gazes, otherness, and the couple. Focus.
Hello Mathilde, can you introduce yourself? What’s your background?
My name is Mathilde Polidori, I’m 35, and I’m a painter and mural artist in Paris. I set up my studio in the heart of my family home, in Bagnolet in eastern Paris. My artistic path has been quite unconventional. I’ve always been passionate about drawing and painting. As a child, I spent my time sketching and experimenting with every kind of graphic art imaginable. I put that passion aside to devote myself to a career in communications and fashion. I worked for nearly 10 years as communications manager for the Maison Isabel Marant. I returned to my first loves a few years ago, and since then there has never been any question of setting this path of expression aside again. I left my comfortable, well-paid job to devote myself 100% to my creative work.
How would you describe your creative universe?
Through my oils on canvas and my monumental wall paintings, I explore and dissect the emotional and sensual nuances of the faces around me. My work is structured into exploratory series around femininity, masculinity, gazes, otherness, and the couple. Colour and pigments play a central role in my canvases; I move away from natural skin tones to reconstruct faces through successive blocks of colour. This gives my subjects depth and an enigmatic quality.
Where do you draw your everyday inspiration from?
From the people around me. I take photos in gentle moments, often at the end of the day on weekends after a long lunch with friends or family. It’s the best moment: they’re perfectly relaxed, and the light illuminates their faces beautifully. I also photograph strangers who are happy to play along with a sunlit, meditative pose.
How important is your interior to you? What does it say about you?
I place quite a lot of importance on my interior. I like to create a warm, welcoming space. Always having flowers, lights here and there, and plenty of seating and tables so I can welcome all my friends. It’s important to feel comfortable when there are lots of us. And to have different spaces for every kind of moment together: meals at the table, drinks around the coffee table, a small table for the children, a cozy TV corner. And now that I work from home, it’s even more important to me.
What is your vision of TIPTOE?
It’s a brand that feels close to people, functional and design-led, ready to adapt to our everyday needs. Discreet and strong. It’s simple, and yet you can recognize a TIPTOE piece at a glance.
Why did you agree to this project with TIPTOE?
I didn’t hesitate for a second. It’s a brand I’ve followed since the very beginning. I really like the idea of being able to combine a design piece—the metal table leg—with any tabletop that may have its own special story. And I’d been wanting to paint a piece of furniture for a while. I find it inspiring to paint a “useful” surface. And so to imagine that the work will age differently, developing a patina with use. I thought about working on 2 benches with a view to making them part of my painting series exploring otherness. A couple, 2 faces that fit together when the benches are brought closer. I called them “The Other Half.” A few weeks after creating the benches, I painted a huge oil on canvas with those same 2 faces, which I called “Reunited.”
A recent creative discovery to share with us?
I love discovering contemporary women painters, and Instagram is a goldmine for that:
Marguerite Piard @margepiard, Camille Cottier @camillecottier, Léa Simonhy @lea.simhony, Ana Leovy @analeovy, Aire Calderon @aiiiire, Anne-Sophie Tschiegg @Tschiegg69. I’ll stop there, but I could give you a very long list!
A Paris address to share with us?
My favorite museum, the Centre Pompidou. I never get tired of it, the permanent exhibitions are so incredible and the temporary exhibitions are always so thoughtfully curated and unmissable.
photo: @angelinalzi