Our recent series of articles “Chavoneros stories” (see Part I, II and III) has caused a sensation among Altos de Chavón graduates, so now we are thrilled to be able to bring you more fabulous stories of artists formed at the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design, here we introduce Anthony Louis Jeune, the “colorblind Haitian superhero”.
The creativity, originality and diversity of artists coming out of the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design is amazing, but even more impressive is the desire to succeed and the motivation that drives them to achieve their goals – of becoming famous and renowned artists, both nationally and internationally.
Anthony Louis Jeune epitomises the creativity, originality and diversity that so many Chavoneros possess. This 27 year old artist graduated in Fine Arts-Illustration from the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design on May 18, 2013 at the Flamboyán Conference Center.
Anthony Louis Jeune, is Haitian and has been living in the Dominican Repulic for 3 years with his uncle. Something which sets Aton apart from other artists is the fact that he is color blind, something which makes him contemplate the world in a different way to others and is reflected in his artworks, creating a mystical aspect for everyone who loves life regardless of color… that’s art.
Anthony Louis Jeune at work in Altos de Chavón
Among, Anthony Louis Jeune’s most outstanding artworks is an interesting superhero, with rather unusual super powers… But let’s hear from the artist himself to explain:
Why create a superhero? What makes your superhero different to others?
I created a superhero, as a way to raise awareness for human rights by using a comic books, music and videos. These are the best mediums to get the attention of the young and old people alike.
My superhero is different from the others because he comes from a 3rd world country, the concept is inspired by 2 old civilizations (Taíno and Egyptian), combined with Haitian culture. My superhero will focus on social and environment problems and propose solutions.
Illustration of the Haiti President with the superhero
I created the Haitian superhero project in order to educate about improving our society – using the justice that he inflicts on villains to teach what is right and wrong.
We noticed that your superhero looks a lot like you…
There is a quote that says: “to change the world, you have to start with the man in the mirror”. So I created the superhero based on my morphology, my beliefs and my dreams. But my superhero’s real name is Alfred. In the real world I am representing the character in the comic book.
Please tell us about your comic book
My comic book is about Alfred Apollon who was chosen to be the demi-god superhero Aton, by Kosmo the guardian of a pyramid found in a deep cave of Pic Macya, the second highest mountain in Haiti.
He devotes himself to protecting the Creole island and humanity from evil. On his path he makes many friends and enemies who help him on his quest. Haitian deities help him, and he also meets the direct descendant of Jean Jacques Desssalines who posses a magical scarf… When the book comes out you can read the full story 😉
I started writing the story of Aton this year in Altos de Chavón as a final project for the class of illustration with my teacher Jonathan Schmidt. I combined a story that I wrote in 6th grade -“The Red Scarf “- to complete the story of “Aton: The Demi God”.
I have the first episode of the book printed in English and in French with Creole. The title of this first episode is “The Night Of The Spirits”. My idea is to make 9 episodes with 22 pages of story each, I will print a graphic novel with all of them together. “Aton: The Demi God” will be the title.
Why do you like comics? People don’t read comics now like years ago, why insist in this kind of medium of expression?I like comic books because its one the most complete form of art. I mean in terms of story-telling, colors, compositions etc… it’s really a creative and collective work.
Movies like “300”, “The Watchmen”, “Matrix”, “Spiderman,” “X-Men”, “The Avengers” and so on, were successful not only because they had great directors and actors or because they had a good budget, it’s because they started as a comic book. The comic was the guideline for the movies. One of the reason that I use this type of a medium is to encourage the youth to read more, to read something educational and inspiring. The comic book won’t be the only form of medium that I will use to promote human rights and children’s right.
According to Comichron.com (a website that specializes in comics) comic book sales in 2012 were at their highest level in two decades. It was a good year, with Funnybook publishing raking in US$715 million. Lets see what will happen this year 🙂
What do you like to paint?
I like to paint what I feel and what comes from my imagination. I usually paint and draw what evokes a lot meaning to me, such as things that I find intriguing, but, nowadays I am creating a series of paintings about Haitian Gods or spirits, because I want to change the visual aspect of these deities that have been portrayed for centuries.
A painting of a Haitian deity named Ayizan
These Haitian Gods are not replicas of catholic saints. The slaves that arrived to Haiti, had to have an image of the spirits they adored in Africa. The images of catholic saints confused them… a confusion which still persists today!
Do you consider being color blind an advantage or disadvantage when it comes to art?
Being color blind gives me a different perspective, which can be an advantage at times, especially in art. I don’t have any problem drawing because I draw forms and shapes. But I do not draw things with their accurate colors, that’s the disadvantage, but the advantage, is that as a visual artist my palette of colors is unique.
How do you see the world?
In my world, the sky can be violet or green, the ocean can be purple, the trees can be red and the ground can be green.
What are you doing now apart from working on the comic book? And what do you expect from the future?
Besides the comic book, I am painting, drawing and doing graphic illustration for different clients. I am preparing an exhibition of my paintings, and working on a music album. I am also working on a video of the superhero talking live about environmental issues in my Haiti. I hope that all Haitians will get to know my superhero and feel proud that their pop culture has a character that represents justice and human rights.
What are you dreams?
My dreams are like big files with different layers. Every time I am done with a layer there is another one appearing. My dream right now is to finish all the episodes of my comic book, so I can print the graphic novel with a music album with songs related to the graphic novel and the values of the superhero. In my dreams I see myself owning a 3D animation and film company and be a world known hip hop and visual artist.
Impressed!? We certainly are! What an inspiring and talented young man. We hope you enjoy Anthony Louis Jeune’s work as much as we do … We wish Anthony Louis Jeune and his superhero Aton the very best for the future! Click here to see more Anthony Louis Jeune´s works!
Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design
The Altos de Chavón Cultural Center Foundation is a U.S. not-for- profit public charity that has a cultural and educational mission here in the Dominican Republic. The school is on a university level and offers an associate degree, with many students continuing on to Parsons School of Design (now called The Parsons New School For Design) in NY. Founded in 1983 to meet the growing commercial demands of the Dominican Republic, the School of Design offers an intensive two-year program leading to the degree of Associate in Applied Science.
Click here to know more about the school!
Spanish
Our recent series of articles “Chavoneros stories” (see Part I, II and III) has caused a sensation among Altos de Chavón graduates, so now we are thrilled to be able to bring you more fabulous stories of artists formed at the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design, here we introduce Anthony Louis Jeune, the “colorblind Haitian superhero”.
The creativity, originality and diversity of artists coming out of the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design is amazing, but even more impressive is the desire to succeed and the motivation that drives them to achieve their goals – of becoming famous and renowned artists, both nationally and internationally.
Anthony Louis Jeune epitomises the creativity, originality and diversity that so many Chavoneros possess. This 27 year old artist graduated in Fine Arts-Illustration from the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design on May 18, 2013 at the Flamboyán Conference Center.
Why create a superhero? What makes your superhero different to others? I created a superhero, as a way to raise awareness for human rights by using a comic books, music and videos. These are the best mediums to get the attention of the young and old people alike. My superhero is different from the others because he comes from a 3rd world country, the concept is inspired by 2 old civilizations (Taíno and Egyptian), combined with Haitian culture. My superhero will focus on social and environment problems and propose solutions.
We noticed that your superhero looks a lot like you… There is a quote that says: “to change the world, you have to start with the man in the mirror”. So I created the superhero based on my morphology, my beliefs and my dreams. But my superhero’s real name is Alfred. In the real world I am representing the character in the comic book. Please tell us about your comic book My comic book is about Alfred Apollon who was chosen to be the demi-god superhero Aton, by Kosmo the guardian of a pyramid found in a deep cave of Pic Macya, the second highest mountain in Haiti. He devotes himself to protecting the Creole island and humanity from evil. On his path he makes many friends and enemies who help him on his quest. Haitian deities help him, and he also meets the direct descendant of Jean Jacques Desssalines who posses a magical scarf… When the book comes out you can read the full story 😉
I started writing the story of Aton this year in Altos de Chavón as a final project for the class of illustration with my teacher Jonathan Schmidt. I combined a story that I wrote in 6th grade -“The Red Scarf “- to complete the story of “Aton: The Demi God”. I have the first episode of the book printed in English and in French with Creole. The title of this first episode is “The Night Of The Spirits”. My idea is to make 9 episodes with 22 pages of story each, I will print a graphic novel with all of them together. “Aton: The Demi God” will be the title. Why do you like comics? People don’t read comics now like years ago, why insist in this kind of medium of expression?
I like comic books because its one the most complete form of art. I mean in terms of story-telling, colors, compositions etc… it’s really a creative and collective work. Movies like “300”, “The Watchmen”, “Matrix”, “Spiderman,” “X-Men”, “The Avengers” and so on, were successful not only because they had great directors and actors or because they had a good budget, it’s because they started as a comic book. The comic was the guideline for the movies. One of the reason that I use this type of a medium is to encourage the youth to read more, to read something educational and inspiring. The comic book won’t be the only form of medium that I will use to promote human rights and children’s right. According to Comichron.com (a website that specializes in comics) comic book sales in 2012 were at their highest level in two decades. It was a good year, with Funnybook publishing raking in US$715 million. Lets see what will happen this year 🙂 What do you like to paint? I like to paint what I feel and what comes from my imagination. I usually paint and draw what evokes a lot meaning to me, such as things that I find intriguing, but, nowadays I am creating a series of paintings about Haitian Gods or spirits, because I want to change the visual aspect of these deities that have been portrayed for centuries.
Do you consider being color blind an advantage or disadvantage when it comes to art? Being color blind gives me a different perspective, which can be an advantage at times, especially in art. I don’t have any problem drawing because I draw forms and shapes. But I do not draw things with their accurate colors, that’s the disadvantage, but the advantage, is that as a visual artist my palette of colors is unique. How do you see the world? In my world, the sky can be violet or green, the ocean can be purple, the trees can be red and the ground can be green.
What are you doing now apart from working on the comic book? And what do you expect from the future? Besides the comic book, I am painting, drawing and doing graphic illustration for different clients. I am preparing an exhibition of my paintings, and working on a music album. I am also working on a video of the superhero talking live about environmental issues in my Haiti. I hope that all Haitians will get to know my superhero and feel proud that their pop culture has a character that represents justice and human rights.
What are you dreams? My dreams are like big files with different layers. Every time I am done with a layer there is another one appearing. My dream right now is to finish all the episodes of my comic book, so I can print the graphic novel with a music album with songs related to the graphic novel and the values of the superhero. In my dreams I see myself owning a 3D animation and film company and be a world known hip hop and visual artist.
The Altos de Chavón Cultural Center Foundation is a U.S. not-for- profit public charity that has a cultural and educational mission here in the Dominican Republic. The school is on a university level and offers an associate degree, with many students continuing on to Parsons School of Design (now called The Parsons New School For Design) in NY. Founded in 1983 to meet the growing commercial demands of the Dominican Republic, the School of Design offers an intensive two-year program leading to the degree of Associate in Applied Science. Click here to know more about the school!