Clemente Mimun
West Palm Beach, Florida
I employ abstract elements for harmony and symbolism to illustrate my reality beyond a cohesive style, and to reaffirm my freedom through art.
MessageBorn in 1937, artist Clemente Mimun lived his childhood years in Carthage, the ex-French colony of Tunisia. As the son of a gallery owner Clemente immersed himself in the museums of LeBardo and Carthage, abundant with Roman and Phoenician art, all of which left an indelible impression. At the age of 16, Clemente moved to Paris where he spent countless hours in the coffeehouses absorbing the philosophical conversations of elder artists. To this day, Clemente acknowledges these experiences in the development of his own personal philosophies on existentialism and self-responsibility – transpiring in the motivation for his artwork.
By 1962, Clemente settled in the United States. Today, his universal language is spoken through his art. Clemente explains that his work is born of a synergy between memory and imagination. He uses no models, pictures or still life arrangements when creating a new work of art. A self-proclaimed “observer,” Clemente chooses to elicit an intellectual formula for his subject matter that he describes through a hierarchy of interpersonal understanding:
On the first level, Clemente strives to expose one’s isolation from the rest of the world and the inevitable “antagonistic possession” that lies in our relationships therein. The second level involves an attempt to communicate to resolve this antagonism – not through the complexity of words, but through the simplicity of symbolism. The third level is reconciliation – a resolution to consume and accept a peaceful coexistence. In other words, the artist states: “Why not say it with flowers?”
Statement
The magic of visual art is when the combinations of paint and material come together to attract the attention of the passing viewer. Mysteriously the painting communicates in a universal language to the observer. There becomes an intimate interaction between the artist and that viewer.
If that communication between my work and the audience is a reaction of joy or happiness, I have achieved my goal.
I am less concerned with retaining a certain “style,” but prefer the progress in my research of texture, color form and subject. The act of creation is mystical. How can one be exposed to so much great art without being influenced? So many times I wonder how an artist has found the inspiration for the execution of his painting. Many years after completing a painting, I remain amazed by the execution of my own subject.
My statement is simple: I want to charm the observer with happiness, packaged in blissful color and energetic form. My messages are found in every day human behavior: Love, Relationships, Nature and Passion.
The fundamental basis is antagonism, it is found at every level. Although it may be unconscious, we are constantly confronted by it and unavoidably we instinctively reciprocate. I choose to present my artwork with humor and pleasant colors, burnishing the roughness of the unspoken reality.
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