Paul Hatton discovers what makes the artist tick and receives his expert insight
After starting out as a photographer, Bertrand Benoit changed course 15 years ago towards the realm of 3D art. Combining a passion for photorealism with architectural visualisation skills and a creative mind, he has become prolific at producing breathtakingly beautiful artwork. We got up close with one of the world’s most accomplished artists to learn more.
How did you get into creating 3D art in the first place?
Being trained as a photographer, I remember being stunned when seeing the first photorealistic images rendered on a home computer and thinking about what it would mean if I could photograph stuff that didn’t need to exist. It must have been around 2007 or 2008. For me, at the time, it was a life-changing thought of the kind that people are now experiencing with AIgenerated art. I got my feet wet in Blender and quickly gravitated to 3ds Max, where I’ve been at home ever since.
You’re prolific in the amount of work you’re able to create. What is it that drives you?
It’s really an organic need. All the stuff I show publicly is personal work, so I’m not selling any of it as such. I do sell some of my models, but that just goes towards paying for my software licences. The motivation is really in the doing. My mother is a painter and she often talks about the need to paint as being like the need to breathe. That’s how I experience it. I have a busy life with a lot of commitments I don’t necessarily have much influence on, and when I’ve been away from the computer for a while, sitting down and modelling, and letting my mind drift is an enormous release.
Who has influenced your art the most, and why?
Initially it was the kings of archviz, like Peter Guthrie, who was a bit of a mentor, and Alex Roman. I was also developing at the same time as more ‘artisty’ artists who I admire, like Cornelius Dämmrich, also known as Zomax, who’s a friend, or Marek Denko.
