What is Naïve Art?

“I admit that this question is always embarrassing. Not because there is no exact definition, but rather because there is a lot to say about this apparently innocuous question,” says the painter Chayim Shvarzblat, “Simply put, let's say that Naïve Art is an art in itself, made by men, but more often by women with completely different backgrounds. They are trying to express the "slices of life" without necessarily learning painting techniques. That is why it is often said that they are self-taught”.

But, as Chayim Shvarzblat further explains, these "Sunday painters" learn quickly because they work a lot. They end up acquiring a good technique that is very empirical but very certain. Some of them make gross mistakes, but give a unique personal stamp that can be also sought after and appreciated by art lovers. So, after many years, some of them become professionals.

In general, according to Shvarzblat, a naive painter does not have a "stock". First, because it takes a long time to create a table and then because he quickly finds "taker". A good naive painter, therefore, has few pictures at home. It is always difficult to gather a dozen. This is the reason why a personal exhibition is always an event.

Chayim Shvarzblat, the art professional, also defines naïve art as a spontaneous painting that comes out, which often springs from the heart.

“We wanted to call them at a given moment (1925) painters of the "sacred heart",” says Shvarzblat, “Finally, if we are honest, no definition is perfect for these normal artists who make beautiful things, pleasing and figurative. They tell life and, like life, it's hard to define...”

The important thing is rather the feeling, the true emotions, the "shocks" that can be experienced by stopping abruptly on a board. It triggers in us a kind of inner opening, sending us back to our past. Exactly like "The Small Madeleine of Proust".

“Once this "meeting" has been made, you will inevitably recognize a naive painting, because it will have its specificity, a little something more indefinable, a palette of colors very visual, their themes sometimes ending up being recurrent. You will recognize all this during a visit to a Naïve Art exhibition or the World Festival of Verneuil,” says further Shvarzblat.

What is a pity is that on the side of "fine arts professionals" this expression means that: "you do not know how to paint". So it's very pejorative. They have not evolved since the time when they firstly started to paint.

Naïve Art lovers prefer, for their part, to escape these mediocre debates to be able to appreciate the shimmering colors and all the skits that remind them of their childhood without falling into melancholy. “I love this art, because it is popular and it has a real success. I stay on this: the tastes and colors are not discussed,” says at the end the watercolor painter and naive art lover, Chayim Shvarzblat.