FV 073 : Florence Metgé, a French artist with a perspective on African art
Buy Full Notes Florence Metgé is a French artist based in the South of France. Florence’s art is colourful and vibrant. She finds her inspiration in the complexity of human relationships and will share some examples in the episode. Living in Western Africa for many years has also influenced her style. Listen in to learn more about it, as well as the condition and challenges faces by contemporary African artists! Episode Timeline Part 1 An overview of Florence’s background Westerners vs African people: hoe they react to art Definition of Arts Plastiques Part 2 Florence’s favourite theme Favourite techniques Image composition: an original angle Part 3 Where in Africa did Florence travel/live The influence of African art in Florence’s work The condition of artists in Africa Part 4 Calling for guests for French Voices! From Florence’s art studio in France Vocab List aquarelle (nf) = watercolour arts plastiques (nm) = fine arts bifurquer = to change direction croquis (nm) = sketch étiqueter (quelqu'un) = to label (someone) exposer = to exhibit franchir le cap = [fig] to go past (sth), to get over (sth), fusain (nm) = charcoal gravure (nf) = engraving huile (nf) = oil labyrinthe (nm) = maze mettre (quelqu'un) dans une case = to label, categorize (someone) œuvre (nf) = work, artwork percer = to make a breakthrough, to make it rapports humains (nm) = human relationships se consacrer à = to dedicate/to devote oneself to se faire remarquer = to be noticed silhouette (nf) = figure (shape) tenir à cœur = to matter, to be important, to be a cause close to your heart tenir compte de = to take into account toile (nf) = canvas Questions: (part 1) Vrai ou faux? Le public français réagit avec plus de spontanéité devant les œuvres d’art tandis que le public africain a tendance à intellectualiser ce qu’il voit. (part 2) What example illustrating the difficulty of communication between two individuals did Florence paint? (part 2) Classez ces techniques dans l’ordre de préférence de Florence, de sa préférée a la moins aimée : L’aquarelle, l’huile, le fusain. (part 3) Why is it challenging for African sculptors to adopt a more contemporary, creative style? Answers: Faux, c’est le contraire.1. Faux, c’est le contraire. She painted a maze with two characters (seen from above). The characters are physically close, being only separated by a wall, but the actual distance for them to meet is far (they would have to walk through the maze) L’huile, le fusain, l’aquarelle Tradition and sacred art, the look of the statues as we know them tend to make it difficult to change style. Links & Resources Florence Metgé’s website: http://www.florence-metge.fr Did you like this podcast? You can support my work by leaving a review on iTunes. Your kind words warm my heart and also help me be found by more passionate learners of French. Merci beaucoup! Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and never miss a new episode!