Sixty-two-year-old Jacques Servieres brandishes his pen and refers to it as “his hidden camera”. Always seen in shirt and shorts with suspenders, this renowned artist from France has taken to sketching after spending 30 years as sculptor.
“This hidden camera is to capture the life around us. For instance, I went to buy chicken for my guests at home. While the butcher was chopping the meat, I drew the poultry in the cage. My sketches capture the ambiences and emotion in that particular situation,” says Mr. Servieres pointing to the pen with fine and micro tip.
Jacques Servieres, who is known for creating ‘Sculptor Garden of Dhuys’ in the commune of Chessy on the bank of river Marne in France, was in Puducherry to work on his book that documents the work of an orphanage in Puducherry through the sketches.
The labour involved in stone sculpting took a toll on his health and led to chronic tendinitis; he quit sculpting and took solace in sketching. “I still keep in my drawings the sense of carving I used while working on stonework. All my drawings reflect everyday life,” he says.
The ambience
During his stay in Puducherry, Mr. Servieres was introduced to the Alliance Franciase Director through an acquaintance. This meeting culminated in an exhibition of artwork depicting the ambience of Alliance Francaise.
“I depicted the classroom environment, capturing the students attending the classes, the teachers. When the Clowns without Borders performed in the auditorium, I sat there sketching them,” he said. His three weeks of artwork depicting the activities in Alliance Francaise is now on display at Maison Colombani.
A self-taught artist, Mr. Servieres adds: “When I am excited, I take off with my pen sketching the ambience or thing that excites me making the drawings alive. I have tried to capture the real beauty that is found in the cultural centre of Alliance Francaise, where students come from different parts of India to learn French,” he says.
He believes that art should be close to the people. “Art helps people to reflect and to think out of the box. Art is not separated from reality,” he says.
