At five, in the intimacy of the golden workshop, Nancy Allototte discovers the oil, rocked by the bewitching odor of the turpentine. Born into a family where art is a universal language “music, drawing, exhibitions”, she forges her first weapons under the aegis of a demanding and benevolent professor. “She taught me the classic bases with a positive pedagogy,” she recalls. This scent and this founding rigor still accompany it today, under the vibrant skies of Madagascar, where it deploys its talent.
Trained at Penninghen and ESAG, then graphic designer at Carré Noir, Nancy Allototte first followed a structured path in Paris. But the call of freedom prevails. Tired by urban greyness, she chooses, with her husband, expatriation, carried by a thirst for adventure. “” Voyages open the eye She says. From Mayotte to Martinique, via Reunion, each destination sculpts his impressionist style. The lights of the Antilles, the Indian Ocean or Africa, all unique, nourish its brush. In Madagascar, where it has been installed for a year and a half, the immensity of the landscapes amazes it: ” It is magical, of an exhilarating diversity ». Nancy does not give up graphics, which it practices freelance, juggling between logos and websites. But painting and teaching become its engine. Faced with the weakness of the artistic offer in certain places, she undertakes to transmit techniques and art history, which she considers as a space for meditation and fulfillment. In Ambatobe, her workshop welcomes students from all walks of life, whose creativity she admires. “” I want them to keep their paw unique “, She insists, refusing to impose her style.
His paintings, vibrant with impressionism, are born from a ” thunderbolt “For a scene, often seized with” Golden Hour This golden light which magnifies softness or reverie. Each technique is carefully chosen: acrylic for large dynamic formats, oil for thoughtful compositions, pastel for magical scenes, watercolor for humorous sketches or Urban Sketching. Upon his arrival in Madagascar, Ambatobe rice fields dazzle him: ” Seeing zebus, canoes, fishermen in the middle of a tannanarive, it was an unexpected gift ». This landscape inspires its first Malagasy painting, a crossroads in its artistic journey.
Zebus, symbols of Malagasy culture, become an obsession. “” They are everywhere: in the fields, on the beaches, carved on the aloalo, embroidered on clothes She enthuses. However, Nancy refuses to paint the complexity or poverty of the country: ” My painting must wear hope ». Her commitment, she lives through volunteer actions with associations such as 2400 smiles or the Matrakizay mosaic workshop. The Malagasy welcome his works with warmth, affected by this celebration of their ” red island ». “” They appreciate honesty and work She notes. Exchanges with local, generous and simple artists enrich his practice. Recently, she exhibited with four artist friends in a daring place: a car showroom. Driven by the watercolorist Amir Juvara, this exhibition brings together various universes, street art, modern portraits, research on matters, where Nancy embodies assumed classicism.
His painting ” Sunset on the island with mats »Capture a moment when light becomes the work, at the precise moment when the sun is close to the horizon. True to impressionism, she plays with colors and framing, suggesting more than she reveals. “” Painting should not be a photo She insists. Madagascar, with its baobabs, its ocher roads and its ravine, remains an infinite source of inspiration. Nancy dreams of capturing the sunsets of Morondava or the landscapes of the Pangalanes canal. Through her paintings, she weaves a dialogue between her expatriate gaze and the raw beauty of the island, a crossroads where light, memory and freedom are found.
Collected by Heriniaina Samson
The article Portrait – Nancy Alliotte: “Madagascar remains an infinite source of inspiration” appeared first at noon Madagasikara.
