WHAT happens when a foreigner gets inspiration from a Filipino artist and our everyday lives?
Such is the case for French artist Henri Lamy, as he held his latest Manila exhibition ‘Maharlika and Dakila’ at the Alliance française de Manille, with his latest paintings becoming a convergence of French and Filipino inspiration.
More than that, his latest exhibition drew inspiration from daily life in the Philippines, as it shared a glimpse not of the city’s everyday rhythm, but from those living in the rural areas. This surfaced as Lamy shared that he recently moved to Puerto Galera, Occidental Mindoro.
For one, Lamy’s painting ‘Bankeiro’ showcases a realistic depiction of a mangingisda (fisherman) in the Philippines. Still, with his style, he added more details which depict the rainy seasons that they face, as seen by the color of the sky mixed with clouds and thunder. The oil-and-acrylic on canvas artwork was priced at P100,000.
To showcase his love for his family, the artist also produced ‘Eskuela,’ priced at P200,000. It is a painting of his child in a classroom, seemingly having a hard time adjusting in the Philippines due to language barriers. He said that his son’s demeanor reminded him of himself when he was young and not being able to fit in with his peers.
‘[My son is still] getting accustomed to speaking Tagalog because he grew up in France. And, I found it funny… [but] not that funny, actually,’ he shared during an exclusive interview. ‘That’s why it kind of answers the question about, ‘Do you need to be sad to be an artist?’ Sometimes, yes, we’re inspired by any type of emotion, [whether] you’re super happy, sad, nostalgic, et cetera…’
‘Dancing artist’
AT the event, Lamy also performed his signature ‘capoeira painting,’ as he did a martial dance against the canvas itself alongside Bantu kids, paired with music. His performance felt free, splashing paints on the canvas as he moved.
‘The flow is kind of similar-meaning, I’m open to every accident and outside inspiration within the course of the creation of my paintings. So I think it’s a good way to show it,’ the artist explained. ‘I’m not doing capoeira painting every day at the studio. It’s mostly something that I perform in the public during shows, but it’s still part of the same art statement, which is moving around with an identical energy and creating on the spot,’
Apart from his French compatriots like Claude Monet, he also draws inspiration from Filipino artists such as Fernando Amorsolo. ‘So I try to blend those together in the same style, that is both inspired by impressionism [showing] common people in their daily lives. I find it interesting, especially the details that nobody would really notice.’