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Born in 1937, artist Clemente C. Mimun lived his childhood
years in Carthage, the ex-French colony of Tunisia. As the son of a
gallery owner, young Clemente met many French and Italian artists who were
escaping the war, one of which became his first tutor. 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. At this formative age, he spent countless
hours in the coffeehouses of Paris absorbing the philosophical conversations of
elder artists. To this day, Clemente acknowledges these experiences in the
development of his own personal philosophies on existentialism, morality and
self-responsibility - all of which transpire in the motivation of his artwork.
By 1962, Clemente settled in the United States. In spite of his strong
European viewpoints, Clemente relished the American culture. Today, his
universal language is spoken through his art.
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The vibrant expressionistic work of Clemente Mimun possesses an unbridled
brilliance reminiscent of the Fauvist style of the early 20th Century. A
short-lived movement that burst on the Paris art scene in 1905, Fauvism paved
the way to both Cubism and Modern Expressionism in its disregard for natural
forms and innovation use of color.
Influenced by the works of Henri Matisse and surrealist, Georges Henri Rouault,
Clemente's art embodies a personal, intellectual and philosophical content
unique to his work. Amidst the artist's vast repertoire of figurative,
abstract and floral images lies a collective genius with regard to his use of
color, shape, form and narrative. |
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 of
reconciliation - a resolution to consume and accept a peaceable coexistence.
In other words, the artist states: "Why not say it with
flowers?"
Clemente's obsession with floral subject matter reflects his philosophy, in that
the flower is notoriously one of the purest forms of symbolism and seems to
possess the power to communicate truth and beauty in some of the simplest ways.
Additionally, the seemingly endless varieties, colors, and shapes never cease to
fascinate him. The artist has found a veritable playground amidst the
garden of his mind.
The embodiment of Clemente's keen observation of attitudes and simple acts
suggests a departure from the norm and thus becomes the unique narrative of his
work. The evolution of the artist, as well as his ideas, are apparent in
his artwork through his vivid and repetitive, almost obsessive, style.
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