Fred Fabre began his varied and colourful career as a drawer and animator before turning to video journalism, working in many of the world’s conflicts. He moved to London in 1997 and has worked on various projects as a BAFTA-winning director of photography before moving on to painting full time after doing an MA in Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art in 2007. Recently Fabre won the Refresh Art Award (Prize of Our Times 2019).
Iconic symbols or tales and narratives are happily intertwined throughout the various series of Fabre’s rendering of life. The paintings are a continual exploration of colour and form as a means to explore the essence, energy of the various concepts Fabre is interested in.
Self-taught or art school?
I am mostly self-taught as I taught myself how to draw to work in animation before computer times. I have always been interested in narratives so I moved on to journalism before coming back to drawing and painting. Then I did an MA in Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art in London, as a mature student, to refine my art practice.
If you could own one work of art what would it be?
When I was maybe 8 or 10 yo my parents took me to Le Louvre and a painting impressed me greatly. The Raft of the Medusa by Theodore Géricault, it is an icon of 19th century French Romanticism but I find it relevant to our times. I might have problems storing it as it is about 5m x 7m though. In this extraordinary painting, depicting the aftermath of the wreck of the French naval frigate The Méduse, Géricault is echoing the international scandal caused by the death of some 147 people who died due to the incompetence of the captain. I think there is no difference in the approach between Gericault’s painting, Picasso’s Guernica and Ai Weiwei’s reflection of real events. They all have offered alternatives to mainstream narratives.
How would you describe your style?
I am not claiming to have, nor respect, a specific style as such although I am embracing my past careers as a journalist and cinematographer without feeling attached to them.
Can you tell us about your artistic process?
I don’t start the artwork before I have a clear idea of where it is going. I sketch it first and could let it rot for a while until I feel the urge to paint it. It is a big commitment and I won’t stop until the painting is completed. It can take a couple of weeks to finish, sometimes more.
Who are your favourite artists and why?
I don’t have favourite artists as such, I like authentic artworks which inspire me. The list is getting longer by the hour as humanity is sinking.
What or who inspires your art?
I don’t think humanity could solve the problems it is facing with climate change before leaning towards a more equal wealth distribution between different countries. It would require a global ideology respecting basic human rights and this starts with gender and ethnic equality. I am sensitive to various eco-feminist theories and outcries, they are a source of inspiration for my work.
Where’s your studio and what’s it like?
I live and work in Hackney since 2006, there is a nice variety of people to paint. My technique is driven by the empathy between sitter and painter. I am in some instances painting a particular and new rhythm of urban sub-cultures in London, creators themselves, self-defined – a punk sensibility that embraces queer, feminist, non-binary worlds and as well as single Mothers.
Where can we buy your art?
People can approach me via my website for portrait commissions (I love doing the odd portrait), originals and prints.
website: www.drawlogia.com
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