１２０枚のトランプ画、嫌いだが描き続けたイスラエル人画家

【ハイファＡＦＰ＝時事】その顔は不明瞭で不気味だが、なでつけられた金髪とネクタイを見れば、ドナルド・トランプ前米大統領であることは明らかだ。そんな肖像画をスタジオを埋め尽くすほどに描いたのはイスラエルの画家、イド・マーカスさんだ。（写真はイスラエル・ハイファのアトリエで、ドナルド・トランプ前米大統領の肖像画を見せる画家のイド・マーカスさん）
　「まず、私は彼が嫌いだというところから始めましょう」。短くそろえたひげと、物事を見通すような黒い瞳が印象的なマーカスさんはそう強調しつつも、今や「悲劇の人物」となったトランプ氏にひき付けられていると語る。
　北部の港湾都市ハイファにあるマーカスさんのスタジオは、壁も床もトランプ氏の肖像画だらけだ。
　大富豪のトランプ氏が２０１６年の米大統領選への出馬を発表した時、マーカスさんは「信じられなかった」と言う。そして同氏が大統領になると、少数派の人々の扱いに恐怖を感じ、「嫌悪感」さえ覚えた。
　しかし、この「オレンジの顔と黄色い頭」の男から目を離すことはできなかった。最初の１枚は短時間で仕上げた。その後、１２０枚前後のトランプ氏の油絵を描いた。
　描かれた男の顔はゆがめられているが、シルエットで一目で誰だか分かる。
　「描くためにドラマは必要としない」というマーカスさん。「戦争も、愛も必要ない。（中略）ただ『旅』が必要だ」
　そしてトランプ氏を描くことは「興味深い旅だった」という。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/02/03-14:38）

The face is obscure and grim, but the blonde comb-over and tie leave no doubt that the image carpeting the studio of Israeli painter Iddo Markus is that of Donald Trump.
Let's start by saying that I don't like him, the voluble artist stressed.
Markus, with his short beard and piercing black eyes, said he was nonetheless fascinated by the now tragic figure.
The walls and floor of his studio in the northern port city of Haifa are packed with portraits of the former American president.
When the billionaire presented his candidacy for the 2016 presidential election, the Israeli artist said he couldn't believe it.
Then, when Trump was eventually elected, he said he was terrified, even repulsed by the Republican's way of treating people and minorities.
But he could not tear his eyes from the man with the orange face and yellow hair, whose image and laconic prose inundated television networks and social media for more than four years.
His first painting of Trump, done hastily, was followed by around 120 more oil-colour works on canvas and wood.
They depict a man with a distorted face, but whose silhouette is immediately recognisable.
- 'Tragic' muse -
The first paintings were much more colourful and faster, said Markus, who went to art school in both his native US and current home Israel.
But he said the figure took on a more pathetic air after Trump's supporters ransacked the US Capitol earlier this month, and after his electoral defeat to Democrat Joe Biden.
Now I feel he's like a tragic figure, Markus said. He became a complex person, instead of an image, instead of an icon.
The way he holds himself was different after he lost, he added, saying this conveyed that he is a human being and he understands something has changed.
Before that, I really felt he thought he was god.
Markus has dubbed the portrait series The Apprentice, after the reality TV show that contributed to Trump's popularity.
He said one of the works had been acquired by an American who wanted a reminder of how low US politics could go.
In his cluttered studio, the walls covered with sketches, cut-out photos and smears of paint, Markus readily admitted his fixation wasn't unique to Trump.
I'm obsessed with everything I do, he said.
Repetition is a part of his practice -- for one series, he created around 1,000 works based on a childhood picture of his wife, painting them on small wooden squares or even huge canvases over a period of five years.
I'm not a person who needs a drama to paint, Markus said. I don't need war, love... I need a journey.
And painting Trump was an interesting journey.