Serge Ben Nathan
“Artists are like puzzle pieces. Only three days into the thirty-day gallery and I can already see how artists fit together like an illustration of humanity hurling through time and space.”
— Sandra Botnen, curator
“Summoning within ourselves our own Giant we have the power to act, the courage to build our own Noah’s Ark in order to save the values we cherish – the love and ethics that make life a beautiful and poetic experience to live. These are the times in which we need our giants.”
At first glance, the contrast between Robert Chaplin of day-two and Serge Ben Nathan of day-three could not be greater, but in both cases, conversations spiral down to the heart of the matter where I found the two artists closely aligned. Robert Chaplin, the rugged disestablishmentarian carver/illustrator, rubs elbows with illustrious outsiders like punk rock icon-celebrity shoe designer John Fluevog and unnamed motorcycle gangsters, meanwhile, the monk-like Serge Ben Nathan is more at home in the concert Halls of Canada’s Arts Center or Paris Opera. What aligns them is their penchant for storytelling, untangling the conflict of contrasting narratives while illustrating them using humor, and light-hearted play.
A Canadian immigrant from France, Serge Ben Nathan remains quintessentially French, and his imagery reminiscent of Le Petit Prince. Seemingly void of any political motivation, I can’t tell if his work is effortless, or decisive in its rejection of the pitfalls of the human spirit. Speaking with the artist begins to shed light on his life story and the steadfast commitment behind his apparent effortlessness.
“My whole life has been a war against cynicism”, says Ben Nathan. Normally calm and oozing with a charming sense of simplicity, it takes some goading to activate the kind of firey energy it takes to fuels an artist for over forty years across two distinct disciplines. Now concentrating on painting and drawing, Serge Ben Nathan is one of Canada’s most distinguished choreographers. As Artistic Director of Toronto’s Dancemakers for over a sixteen-year period, he established a stylistic consistency of emotional expression through his dancers that became internationally acclaimed and sought after by the likes of Ballet BC, National Ballet, and Canadian Opera Company.
It would be impossible not to carry such accomplishments into his paintings, which often depict surreal dancing figures in emotionally liberated states. A modern-day Chagall, his works are weightless and full of heart. I became most interested in his series called “The Giants” which seem to create a full circle for the artist where his painting illustrate the dance, his dance illustrates the mythologies of big emotions, and his life illustrates the poetry of heart-felt living.
“These are the times have to rely on our giants” he says. That same firey energy returns and I realized his war on cynicism has not always been a series of won battles. “I overcame cancer” he said with an implied “basta” or “end of story”. His statement merely put things in perspective as opposed to introduce a subject that held any interest for him. Serge’s colorful uplifting works speak for themselves, but to know Serge is to understand the humanistic accomplishment that ground him as an artist and gives his work importance. “We have to rely on our giants” says it all. This is perhaps the most concise and compelling artist statements I have come across and my top reason for wanting one of these canvasses on my wall.
Available Works
"Blue Giant. Northern Ektica" Watercolor ink on Italian paper 38.5cm x 58cm $450 CDN
"Le Mont st Michel et Les Pres-Sale:" Watercolor ink on Italian paper 64.8cm x 101.6cm $1050 CDN
"Giant de la Nuit Traverse Les Montanges" Watercolor ink on Italian paper 38.5cm x 58cm $450 CDN
"Le Temps des Giants" Watercolor ink on Italian paper 38.5cm x 58cm $450 CDN
"These are the Times" Watercolor ink on Italian paper 38.5cm x 58cm $450 CDN
"La Rencontre. Salt Spring Island" Watercolor ink on Italian paper 38.5cm x 58cm $450 CDN
"Giant Dancing" Watercolor ink on Italian paper 38.5cm x 58cm $450 CDN
"Tell Me Something The World Do Not See" Watercolor ink on Italian paper 38.5cm x 58cm $450 CDN
"Tornesols" Watercolor ink on Italian paper 76.5cm x 58cm $850 CDN