Valaine de Ranson

Valaine de Ranson: Figurative painting and the female body

A Swiss painter from Valais, Valaine de Ranson has developed a committed approach to oil painting. Her work focuses entirely on the representation of the female body in contemporary art.

Trained outside the traditional academic system, notably in Paris, she forged her style through private lessons and extensive reading. Today, she champions painting that emphasises gesture and presence. Her visual art takes a clear stance: the female body is neither an object nor a decorative motif, but a living entity that conveys identity. Through each canvas, Valaine offers a respectful, embodied and deeply human perspective.

The artistic approach: a celebration of the female body

Valaine de Ranson chooses to paint female bodies on canvas, not to present an idealised image, but to reveal their real presence. Each figurative painting becomes an exploration and a dialogue between the model, the pictorial material and the viewer’s gaze.

For the artist, the body is never reduced to a mere surface to be contemplated. On the contrary, it is inhabited. Thus, each brushstroke affirms that beyond the flesh there is a personality, a history and an inner life. The body then becomes a space for expression and dignity.

The influence of Virginia Woolf on the work of Valaine de Ranson

Part of this approach has its origins in the writings of Virginia Woolf. The writer once pointed out that libraries devoted more books to animals than to women. This remark had a profound effect on Valaine de Ranson. Since then, it has fuelled her reflections on the place accorded to women in art history.

Nowadays, as certain masculine discourses are becoming dominant once again, the artist feels it is necessary to reaffirm the value of the female body. She explores its strength, complexity and uniqueness through her pigments.

The responsibility of women painters today

As a woman and an artist, Valaine takes an ethical stance. In her view, painting women requires paying particular attention to how they are viewed. It is not a question of reproducing patterns inherited from the past, but of offering a representation that elevates, humanises and restores a full presence.

From then on, each work becomes a form of silent resistance. It is an act of remembrance in the face of the invisibility that women still suffer. Through her paintings, she wishes to revive the perception of the female body as a space of freedom and individuality.

Exhibiting and communicating: beyond the sale of art

When Valaine de Ranson exhibits her work in galleries, selling is not an end in itself. What drives her above all else is conveying her message. She seeks to resonate with those who view her works.

This is why she favours venues that are capable of accommodating the uniqueness of her approach. Painting then becomes a shared language. It is an invitation to slow down our gaze and rethink our relationship with the body and the image.

Valaine de Ranson fait partie de l’école suisse de peinture contemporaine, peinture basée sur l’expression de la figuration comme acte de représentation. Il s’agit d’un renouveau d’artistes féminines débarrassées de toute influence des marchés de l’Art.

Valaine de Ranson in front of one of her oil paintings depicting the female body.
Photograph: December 2025.

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