The sensitivity of Jean Tirilly is apparent in his paintings as, with a delicate touch, he pulls strange creatures from darkness and chaos. The stretched crooked bodies of 'righteous men' are exhorted to reveal their deformities: their torments. Born on April 13, 1946, in Léchiagat, France, Tirilly was bored at school and, finding it hard to bear the constraints of the teachers, he dove into his powerful imagination. Later, he became a mechanic on the aircraft carrier Le Foch and travelled around the world several times before leaving the Navy and returning to his hometown to live with his mother, where he did odd jobs. Having always felt different from other people, he used alcohol to overcome obstacles and to interact with others while deeply burying his pain. He began to paint his bedroom walls and, aged 40, decided to teach himself to be a painter, becoming an outstanding visionary artist.