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The most difficult thing about Anne’s paintings is whether to label them Naive, Naive-Primitive, Folk Art, or Self-taught? She calls herself a self-taught, Naive-Primitive. Being French, of Celtic and Basque origins, and a permanent resident in the United States, she doesn’t fill into any of the Ethnic groups that respectfully, easily define a school of painting. She follows in the tradition of self-taught, itinerant worker-artists, and is not to be confused with the many, wonderful illustrator-painters who imitate the naive school, which is the baseline foundation of all the schools of folk art painters. Though many of these painters are neither self-taught, nor do they have the naive spirit that is at the heart of this school. Calling someone “naive” nowadays, can be either a compliment, meaning-natural, native, simple and credulous as a child, ingenuous; or, a criticism, meaning-artless, lacking critical ability or analytical insight, lacking worldliness or sophistication. Ethnicity, Afro-American, Native American Indian, or Outsider, avoids any possibility of the negative implication of naive. However, would we call the Dalai Lama, or an Amish person, or a Native American Indian naive, because of their ontological beliefs, or the way in which they perceive the world? Painters, like all artists, transform the world. Their reflection on life, expressed in their art, makes us perceive the world with renewed perceptions, new eyes. Our world transforms through our interaction with them: Because, they change how we think about what we see. Seeing life from the heart, through simple, honest eyes, makes the world a simple, joyous place, full of moments that make life worth living. Even if the subject is not gay, if it is presented naively, the complexities, pains, and difficulties of life that we all experience. Once, in Anne’s former gallery in Paris, she presented them with a painting that represented her, and her former sister-in-law, meeting in front of the cemetery at Montparnasse. They had made a date to visit the grave of Anne’s former mother-in-law. The gallery’s reaction was, “Oh, my God, no! That’s not happy.” But, someone fell in love with it. The painting sold within a week. I wouldn’t confuse Naive, with stupidity, or artlessness. In Anne’s case, it is a conscious choice. |
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