Henry Munyaneza is a local skilled painter and digital artist who decided to turn his talent into a profession in 2020. The youngster believes that every artist is gifted uniquely, which is why he detests counterfeiting other artists’ craft. He is of the view that artists can actually observe and learn from others, as it assists them to advance their own exceptional styles and expression, but duplication averts ingenuity. According to him, on average, 70 per cent of artists in Rwanda create artworks copied from others just for their exquisiteness, yet an artist must create a masterpiece according to their own perspective. Munyaneza stresses that an artist can take some essentials from other’s work especially those that they admire and use them with their own ideas, fashioning something novel. For him, artists who copy others’ work are either not confident of their aptitude, or have not discovered their own style. He also says that some artists are just lazy, as they want to earn money without straining, especially if they’re aware that people relate well with a certain style, which is why they opt for replication. It’s for this reason that Munyaneza yearned and visualised training new or unskilled artists to discover their uniqueness and believe in themselves though he lacked enough money to offer them such a platform. In February, he started saving money with the support of his friends and family, and fortunately, recently launched his new Kacyiru-based art studio known as, ‘Neza-H’ which is aimed at offering space to artists and people with an interest in art, sponsoring their craft and later exhibit them in the showroom. Munyaneza notes that many artists aren’t given the right support, a thing that has pushed them to throw in the towel. “I recall struggling when I had just realised that I could actually paint, even though people close to me encouraged me to even do better, I didn’t receive the support I required that even some art galleries refused to showcase my portraits. I don’t want any artist to go through the same pain and contempt I encountered,” he expresses. The painter is optimistic that the art studio will equip artists with skills to use art as a means of expression, communication, and provide solutions to problems society faces. He has no doubt that artists shouldn’t just draw, paint or create for the sake, but have in mind what they would like to achieve, because when the message isn’t interpreted, regardless of how colorful any art piece is, it lacks significance. Munyaneza explains that the copying habit can be dealt with if artists research other’s work and use it as an inspiration. This is because when one invests their time in learning, there is a possibility of even doing better than the talents they admire, or improving their technique. The painter highlights that the reason some artists are demotivated is that they focus on the end goal, instead of devoting themselves to working hard. “In order to excel as an artist, one needs the right materials, take classes, find mentors but also interact with other artists, and learn from one’s mistakes,” he states.
