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 Considered an abstract-figurative artist, the paintings created by Richard Burlet are born of an inspiration that is French by inclination and Viennese by influence. The complex imagery of Burlet's figurative paintings pays homage to a tradition in art that reigned supreme in Vienna in the late 1800s. The art, architecture and design of Vienna's "Golden Age", and the highly praised works of Gustav Klimt, are the greatest influences to Burlet's artwork.
 Burlet's paintings are richly colored compositions in collage and oil and each displays a brilliant pastiche of ornamental detail that does not simply embellish the art, but becomes its content. His palette often reflects his affinity for red and purple – strong colors – and he strives for "a contrast of colors, of heat, contrast between some delicate, graceful faces, and an intense and powerful set of colors." For Burlet, the interplay of figure and background, flatness and depth, object and image is the key to heightening the experience of his creations. His paintings evoke a dreamlike, floating state in which fantasy liquefies the world, tinting and bending to its own desires. It is in this approach to his artwork that Burlet's paintings have an affinity with the most classic of figurative studies while also harkening to the psychedelic nature of 1960s art and design.
Burlet's sensual figurative works have an abstract quality achieved by his use of collage and heavy paint on canvas. There is flatness to the imagery, yet rich dimension is created by myriad colors laid one on top of another with 24-karat gold and silver leafing then applied giving the canvas tone and texture. He uses gold and silver "for it's light – no color can compete with it. It is an element that naturally does not belong on the painting, and therefore is thrilling to try to include it." Another "material" that Burlet works with is memories. "The more distant they are, the more interesting they get, because they are distorted by time and living. They reappear through certain colors, certain shapes, even if they remain hazy." The art is at once classic and exotic, sensual and tame. The figures appear as if in a dream, the colors intertwine with collage to create both mood and a multi-dimensional surface.
A French citizen, born in 1957, Burlet began painting at the age of 12 and was educated in fine arts in Nice, France. In 1977, he was accepted into the prestigious Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts in Paris where he studied for two years. Burlet's passion is the Viennese Secession movement, in particular the works of Klimt. Of these works he is enamored by the refinement of figure and oriental influences, including Klimt's palette of warm, rich colors and the use of gold leaf. When not painting, Burlet travels frequently to Asia and the Middle East and lived for a time in Gabon, all of which heavily influences his artwork. In his paintings there is an earthiness combined with a sensual beauty, qualities associated with each of these exotic regions of the world. Burlet has had numerous exhibitions throughout Europe and the United States, most recently in Paris, Saint-Paul de Vence, Milan, Tokyo and New York. As well, his artwork has garnered recognition at shows throughout Europe, most notably at the Salon du Raincy, Conflans Ste Honorine and Salon d'Automne in Paris. His paintings are in private collections worldwide.
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