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Interview

Parisian print-maker in quest of purity

Jean Dometti from Paris speaks to Fayza Haq ofihe Hailu Star
THE Daily Star: You must have studied eastern art, and in particularly art living in the heart of a cultural seat like France; you must have been exposed to many exhibitions; and must surely have travelled extensively?
Jean Dometti: When doing my studies as an artist I did have the opportunity to learn about fine arts in the east; when you study art you automatically study east art. But I haven't specifically studied the Asian art. I haven't travelled much personally in Asia, but my works have, specially in Korea and Japan. What you see at the moment of eastern art in Paris is contemporary Chinese and last month, a famous salon International Fair for Contemporary Art at Paris, there were a lot of works by Chinese artists. In France, at the moment, eastern contemporary art specially Chinese art plays a vital role. I have met mainly a small community of artists in Dhaka in particular. I can only comment on these artists whom I've met. This includes mainly Mohammed Kibria, who, for me is a very important artist who is not known in Europe and who would very much deserve to have international exposure and career. I'm very happy that I could see the works of a large number of quite a few print makers which means 30 print-makers
in all. I had been very impressed by the quality of the works and also by the diversity of the works.
TDS: How did you feel at the outset when you first came to Bangladesh?
JD: Coming from Paris I feel completely different in Bangladesh. I'm just caught by the multiplicity of images, of colours, the hustle and bustle in the streets and I was very much under the grip of those Bangladeshi images. This certainly impressed me.
TDS: How did your family and friends respond to your taking up a profession of fine arts: weren't you afraid that one day you end up like some Van Gogh. When you began your career fine arts was surely not the expected or desired career for the average bourgeois youth: the male child during the post WWII was surely expected to be an engineer, lawyer of doctor or even a teacher.
JD: You don't choose painting. It's painting that chooses you. One expresses oneself as an artist just as one does through one's writing. When your job is a passion, when it is a vital necessity you don't worry about the material or social aspects of the choices you're making.
TDS: Did you initially get support and encouragement from your family such as if your parents encouraged you or if someone in your family was an artist?
JD: I had no real support if you mean an artistic background: there were no artists in the family. I started very young and nobody discouraged me from choosing my line of interest. My father died when I was 17 and I had to look after myself very much. I passed some competitive exams including the famous one of "Ecole Normale Superiore" and to become a professor to have a regular income to allow me to live.
TDS: Is print-making valued the world over as it deserves to be in this day and age?
JD: I'm a "plastician" and as such I do painting, print-making, and go for other forms of expression through fine arts: for me print-making is just one particular medium, but not the only one. Etching or engraving, specially in the recent past has become has become very much recognized in Europe and
the united States. There are a number of international fairs and only what we call "stampe originale" (original prints) are found in art galleries which present only original prints.
TDS: What were your general impressions of Bangladesh?
JD: Coming to Bangladesh is of course breaking away from the way of life in Europe: it's definitely a cultural shock to come here; about the food, we all that that French cooking is the best, although one mustn't make such statement out of politesse. There are two things: I don't have enough time in Bangladesh and you need much longer to get really accustomed to all the things I see, smell and feel. Nevertheless, the food is delicious although it took me time to get used to it, specially the chilly for instance -- it's all different. I'm also very much caught by the colour and motif of the textiles such as those seen in the saris hung out to dry.