Fleury Joseph Crépin

Joseph Crépin (1875–1948) was a French painter and close friend of the famed coal miner and artist Augustin Lesage. Crépin's work is considered to be part of Art Brut, and he is often characterized as an outsider artist. His paintings and drawings were influenced by his belief in spiritualism. Crépin was introduced to spiritualism in 1930 and became a spirit-healer the following year. Crépin is often noted for not beginning his major works until he was in his 60s. He believed that what he painted was communicated to him by the dead. His meticulously detailed flat compositions often portrayed fantastic architectural forms. He kept his methods of painting a secret.