DESIGNER
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JAYNE GREEN talks to the everso-charming MARC-ANTOINE who is now considered as one of the world’s leading fashion artists. With his glamorous, elegant, out-of-time, sometimes quite cheeky style he displays a great sense of aesthetics and observation, capturing the instant, with an artistic overview.
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ell us about yourself. What makes you tick? I am a french artist with italian origins. I’ve always known that I wanted to be an artist. Drawing has always been essential to me as well as one needs oxygen to breathe. As a child I was frustrated - I couldn’t find the images I was dreaming of, in the real world. I’ve always had a lot of images inside of me. Making these images real has been the biggest thrill in my life. I am interested in people - their lives, their stories, their weaknesses, their strength. I love to meet people and listen to them, exchange ideas with them. Can you briefly explain your creative process, mediums, etc? It’s always a challenge - while I paint, I have to feel love. My subject has to be the most important person in the world to me. I first draw too many lines on the paper with a pencil, and then I delete most of them. I like it when it looks simple. I use ink. Ink is a dangerous medium - it does not allow a second chance. I like that idea. The most important thing to me is to show how it feels to actually meet the person I’ve portrayed. When you meet people you don’t necessarily pay attention to every detail -skin, spots, wrinkles... When the person is gone you remember the style, the perfume, the personality. That’s exactly what I try to render on paper. Has the French perspective on work influenced you? I feel french, thus my work must look french, I guess. But I also feel italian - it’s an important part of my culture. I hope my work shows both influences. I love unfinished works - they are full of promises. It has to be light and human. I am not interested in perfect technique. I like messy elegance. I can be baroque or simple. People daily undergo various moods. Give us a brief history of who you have worked with up to the current date. I have worked with Ines de la Fressange, Marpessa Hennink, Jean Paul Gaultier, Dior, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Lancôme, Givenchy, John Nollet... I did the french Vogue Colouring Book. I regularly work with the French Vogue. I work each week for the Madame Figaro, each month for Town & Country, Transfuge... What are your plans for the future? Tell us about any exciting news in the pipeline It’s always complicated to reveal what’s in the pipeline. I’ve just
