Rwanda is indeed gifted with young artists, especially painters whose stroke of the brush is magical. Some have managed to get some training, while others have self-taught themselves with the help of the Internet and books. Although some young artists are lucky to be known, others are still undercover-a thing that could hinder them from acquiring support from buyers. Despite the fact that it is not paying immensely, art is a profession that some youngsters have earned income to make ends meet and build connections. The beauty of art is that it can be juggled with other professions. Art doesn’t necessarily have to be an inborn talent; it can be learned. Jonathan Nshuti, a student at Ecole d’art de Nyundo is among the many painters that Rwanda is blessed with. The way he holds the brush and attentively paints his pictures, while listening to soft music is enthralling. When asked about the magic behind the music, he responded that listening to music while drawing reduces the background noise but also shirks the too much uncalled-for silence. Music gives him a good feeling inside and makes him enjoy what he is doing. Some of Nshuti’s portraits. He said that he makes art pieces depending on the type of orders he receives. / Photo: Courtesy. Although art and him were inseparable in nursery school, the real connotation of art and talent was unearthed in Primary four. No wonder he joined a secondary school where his talent could be skilled up. The 20-year-old artist’s passion for drawing and painting couldn’t grow without the support of his parents. Nshuti specializes in both realism and illustration genres of art. He uses a brush and paint as his main tools. He has found interest and focus in the Rwandan culture that some of his portraits and art pieces are about the Rwandan culture. The illustrator believes that with art, meaningful information with depth can be communicated yet live on for many years. In an interview with The New Times, he noted that illustration art enables him to attract attention, educate, and express things in an abstract way to the observer, but opens minds and sparks imaginations. As an illustrator, he creates physiques of work that enlivens and tests with the concepts of contemporary visual art and its mixture of forms. He carried on that today’s illustrators surpass caricature (description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics or cartoons in short) and visual depiction to observational statements about current trends and popular culture. With observation on how he does his work, indeed, he is the glue that can help clamp the attention of the observer. To him, being a good artist is developing technical skills and there’s no better way to do that than by studying and practicing realism. However, to be good at anything requires you to master the basics first. “The trick is loving the process more than the end result,” he stated. The young painter lures his inspiration from the ancient painters. He draws depending on the demand by customers, though his prices are negotiable. His standard prices don’t exceed Rwf50,000. Although he is still pushing, his profession is a bit rocky, as he sometimes can’t afford the materials, lacks a platform to expose him and sell his art pieces. His dream is to be an award-winning illustrator and divulging the Rwandan values and beliefs to the foreigners through art.
