Enfant Précoce e t
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Exploring the themes, thoughts, and colors that characterize Francis Essoua’s art.
WRITTEN BY OLUWATOBILOBA ADEBANJO
viewer. With each painting, Enfant Précoce encourages you to keep your inner child alive and view everything with a fascination and amazement reminiscent of children. Ever the fighter, Précoce paved his own way in the Parisian art scene through his bold move, Exposéz-moi (Exhibit Me). Posing with his art in front of the Louvre, the Centre Pompidou, and even in the middle of the Champs-Elysée thoroughfare, Enfant Précoce fought his way into the art scene, surmounting the barriers that usually hinder young visual artists from going mainstream. His boldness is reflected in his personal style and the sharp, vibrant colors of his art. Dreams of a Precocious Child Born in Cameroon in 1989, Enfant Précoce grew up surrounded by family and comfort before moving to France at age nine. By the time he was twelve, Enfant Précoce knew he wanted to go
to art school. He would help his friends draw their diagrams at school, exercising his creativity while securing excellent grades for them! However, being from an African home, his desire to become an artist did not go down easy with his family, who would have preferred him t to study mathematics or become a doctor. Despite his family’s doubts, Enfant Précoce drew inspiration from his uncle Malam, a sculptor, and kept his dream alive. Although he got into dancing and never attended art school, he found visual art again and started painting at twenty-four, twelve years after deciding to be a painter. Enfant Précoce found it difficult to break into the Parisian mainstream art scene as an autodidactic artist. Navigating the unwelcoming art milieu was no piece of cake for this self-taught African immigrant painter. Since he did not attend art school, cultivating a network of connoisseurs, sponsors, gallery
Francis Essoua, known as Enfant Précoce, is an artist who uses his work to express his unique style and viewpoints. His art, characterized by bright colors and dynamic themes, reflects his personal experiences and the struggles of Black immigrants in Europe. Précoce’s work continues to evolve, blending his passions for fashion and art, and he aspires to make significant contributions to African art history while inspiring others to view life with wonder and curiosity. For Francis Essoua (Enfant Précoce), art is beyond the aesthetic. It is an expression of his style, a reflection of his views, and a window into his mind. Embedded in every brush stroke is a story, a perspective. With a background in dance, an interest in fashion, and a self- taught approach to art, Précoce’s art easily flows through various themes while maintaining a childlike vibrancy and boldness that is simply irresistible to the
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