Jean-Louis Senatus: SKYMASTER : Online Exhibition

GM:  Were you raised in an environment that encouraged the arts? 

J-LS:  Since I was a child I’ve always dreamed of being an artist.
 
GM:  When did you decide to begin your artistic activities?

J-LS:  In 1969 I frequented the Institut Lope de Vega et Le Foyer des Arts Plastiques to learn more about painting. 

GM:  Why did you decide to become an artist?

J-LS:  I have always had a passion for art, of having the possibility to create things that make me happy in life, that give me a sense of well-being, love, the feeling that there are different things one discovers that which was needed. 

TRAINING

GM:  Tell me about your artistic training.

J-LS:  In 1973 I met a Greek painter who had come to Haiti to open a gallery and he created a school. I worked with him for a while, there were other artists from this period and he imparted that which he could of his knowledge so that I could become what I am, even if life does not always give us the opportunity to continue our dreams.

GM:  Who were your teachers and sources of artistic inspiration? 

J-LS:  Picasso, Dali, Bernard Roi, Carlos Jean Jacques.

GM:  What role did collaborations with other partners in the artistic-cultural domain play in your artistic career? 

J-LS: From the beginning, I did everything with Galerie Monnin. But this did not prevent me from making arrangements with them. 

PRACTICE

GM:  What is art to you?

J-LS:  Art is life, it’s understanding, it’s love, it’s learning.

GM:  What is your practice?

J-LS: I think that the role of an artist is to bring out in front of them that which is beautiful.

GM:  How can art help a country as unstable as Haiti?

J-LS: It’s true it is difficult to feel possibility in these conditions, it’s challenging to find inspiration.

GM:  If someone asked you to depict the actual state of your country in a work, what would it look like? 

J-LS:  Desolation, sadness, the unthinkable.

GM:  And if someone asked you to depict what Haiti means to you?

J-LS:  Haiti is my homeland, it means everything to me.

PROCESS

GM:  What is your medium?

J-LS:  Acrylic

GM:  What does your medium provide?

J-LS: The color isn’t important, for me all are equal, what matters most is the finished work.

GM:  What is your source of inspiration?

J-LS:  Nature, landscape. 

GM:  What is your working process?

J-LS:  The artist is not the master of himself, something inside takes over. 

Art World 

GM:  What is your relationship like with your Haitian colleagues? And foreign ones?

J-LS:  They are all equal to me, there is a very good rapport.

GM:  And your relationship with art market makers in Haiti? And abroad?

J-LS:  Another time, yes, however now things are limited.

GM:  What is your relationship with Galerie Monnin, specifically? How has it shaped your career?

J-LS:  I have been with the gallery for years. The gallery has done everything it can for Haitian painting, they have mounted exhibitions abroad, in galleries, museums, the Grand Palais, and more in our country. Michel’s dream was to make a place for Haitian art in the artworld.

GM: What is your relationship like with other artistic-cultural institutions in the country? And abroad?

J-LS:  Things are limited these days since Covid-19. 

THE FUTURE

GM:  How do you see your future evolving over the next 10 years?

J-LS:  I don’t know what life has in store for me.

GM:  What is the state of Haitian art in your view?

J-LS:  Haitian art is in a difficult situation. 

 GM:  Do you see an end date for your artistic activities? 

J-LS:  I don’t know, I like painting too much to respond to that. 

THE PERSON

GM:  What are the most important of the five senses? 

J-LS:  Sight.

GM:  If you could go out to dinner with someone famous, past or present, who would you choose?

J-LS:  Michel Sardou, Ansy Derose 

GM:  What is a habit or behavior that your family and friends make fun of you for?

J-LS:  Unfortunately nothing.

GM:  What is your greatest fear?

J-LS:  Earthquake.

GM:  What is your favorite place?

J-LS:  Port Salut in the south of Haïti. 

GM:  If you weren’t an artist, what would you be?
J-LS:  An engineer.