HUMAN-ANIMALITY : Where eyes meet…

 

My artistic background is atypical. I have been passionate about color and painting since a young age. Throughout my childhood and my adolescence, the stories of my uncles serving in Africa, the Caribbean and Oceania always amazed me, and my attraction to distant lands populated by enchanting characters grew steadily. Also, I am enchanted by the magnificent wildlife which both attracts and terrifies me, and I have been constantly trying to capture this untamable majesty.

Is it a surprise then that painting and exoticism resonate deep in myself and flourished, over the decades in the creation of ethnic works ?

It is my wish through my paintings to honor the so-called "primitive" peoples (Masai, Papouan, Maori..). I have had the opportunity to make my dreams come true, and stayed twice in the Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia (Dec. 2007 & Dec. 2011), in the footsteps of Paul Gauguin. I try to demonstrate the authenticity of the Maori, the quiet power of the tikis (half God/half human), and their landscapes of breathtaking beauty where jagged mountains stand out like stunning castles resisting the passing of time as though they were the fruit of the imagination of a mad artist.

But does the “animality” that emerges from this similar look in the eyes of men and animals not reveal to us our own animality ? Is humanity a feature of human beings alone ? Can animal behaviour only be considered as characteristic of wild animals only, when we know that an animal does not inflict suffering for pleasure ? Do we not belong to a distant lineage of primates .... who have mental capacities and a certain emotional life ... whose sign language is slowly being revealed to us ? Let’s question ourselves... Let’s approach this from another perspective…

Among many amazing personalities, I believe Steven Tyler (lead singer of rock band Aerosmith) incorporates the characteristics of this animality that I am so sensitive to. This is expressed in his feline attitude on stage and his extraordinary voice (is he not called the “Demon of screaming”?) whose intonations sometimes evoke growls of wild animals. I had the honour, privilege and absolute pleasure of meeting personnaly Steven Tyler on June 9th, 2014 in Berlin and on June 6th, 2017 in Copenhagen.

I would like to continue working on portraits of rock stars … Steven Tyler being my favorite forever.