Discover the contemporary work of Bernard FORTI
I started à paint relatively young. I must have been 12 or 13 years old. It was an opportunity for me to assert myself in a field that I was discovering and which gave me a lot of joy.
In third grade my visual arts teacher, Henry Girard (“Henry le Chénier” from his painter’s name), invited me to do some art work. show him my productions. What I did...
Looking at one of my paintings entitled "procession", he offered to follow me and give me, if I wanted, private lessons.
A short time later, he invited me to accompany him to his workshop located in not far from the center of Marseille. It was then that I discovered, amazed, the numerous paintings created by my teacher. A dazzling and grandiose spectacle!
His painting was warm and expressive, a sort of synthesis between the abstract and the figurative. The colors expressed Provence, its smells, its strong heat, its light, and its characters, a little differently. the way of Paul Cézanne. There you go the memory that I still keep of these unforgettable moments.
Unfortunately my academic results did not allow me to continue my studies at Saint Charles High School and at the same time, my private lessons ended and with them the wise and disinterested advice of my teacher. ress of this great painter.
Following this experience, I understood that I had to be ready to take action. pay the price to obtain what is dear to us. This is what I did by resuming my studies seriously at the "Lacordaire" college. I realized that in order to paint in complete freedom, it was better for me to move towards an activity that involved me. likely to give me time and sufficient finances to realize my dream.
My goal was now to graduate from the baccalaureate, to be able to do so. even followvisual arts studies at home. Aix en Provence and beyond the faculty de Luminy de Marseille, from the perspective of teaching. This was indeed what I was heading towards.
During these years of study I rented premises not far from my family which served as my workshop. During this same period I participated in a painting competition which was to take place in the old Panier district (the "Montmartre" of the Phocaean city). The test consisted of: paint a place in the neighborhood of our choice and on the spot.
Setting up my easel in an alley, I began to paint. I painted at the same time as many others, who like me were fighting against a good mistral, trying as best they could to immortalize these colorful and lively street corners. In the end, I was selected. and winner of the prize, offering me the possibility of of an exhibition at theChappaz gallery. Thus were my artistic beginnings...
