Interview with journalist Matthaios Kapetanakis, www.cretedoc.org, 04-09-2021.
A man who found in Rethymno what he had envisioned as a child in England, and more ...a fortress to which he felt deeply attached.
Those lucky enough to have experienced him as an educator will remember his anxieties for the younger generation, and his special way of getting messages across every day. Some may also remember at the ceremonies for the presentation of certificates a beautiful painting of Rethymno and the Fortezza after the Storm that accompanied each certificate. In the wake of the successful exhibition at the Fortezza, let's find out a bit more Frederick Featham, Mr Fred!
How does the language of artistic expression and that of teaching speak within you?
Both the artist and the teacher have an inner need to communicate deeply either by creating images or through lessons. However, in painting classes the student is essentially learning techniques, and only if he has the necessary sensitivity can he create art.
I can say that since I was a young child I have felt the need to paint. In particular, I like to paint nature (landscapes) - with all its colours, shapes, contrasts, and when the viewer of my painting feels the emotion that inspires me, then I believe I have succeeded as an artist. Art is the ultimate form of communication.
After studying Fine Arts and English Literature in England, I was appointed as a painting teacher at St Crispin's Secondary School in Wokingham, England.
And when and how did you discover the Fortezza?
After a few years I decided to leave England in order to experience other places and peoples. I travelled to several countries, and when I needed to work, I found a position as an English teacher in Rethymno - a place completely unknown to me. I immediately felt that I belonged in this beautiful town. I remembered a composition I had written in primary school in England on "My ideal town" - I had described, in short, a small quiet town with the sea in front and mountains behind. Here was my childhood wish come true!
But the big surprise was the towering Venetian fortress that dominated the town.
I was at once impressed by the Fortezza - and still am. This imposing and iconic Venetian fortress is an endless source of inspiration for me as a painter.
You have chosen to have a dialectical relationship with the monument even from your home. Have you thought at some point: "I'm sick of this view?"
Every hour of the day the Fortezza changes colour, its shadows change shape and intensity depending on the position of the sun, its appearance changes every season - it presents a different face in summer and a different face in winter. But the Fortezza does not exist alone. Its total image is complemented by the wondrous dome of the sky and the moving sea that spreads out around it, sometimes calmly and sometimes almost menacingly, things that I observe and analyse incessantly. Is it possible to get bored with such a sight?
On a deeper personal level, the Fortezza symbolizes for me not only Rethymno, but by extension the people of the town who accepted me, embraced me and supported me, and to whom I owe so much.
How would you like to see the Fortezza in the coming years?
My recent painting exhibition that was held in the Artillery Building under the auspices of the Municipality of Rethymnon came to an end. Visitors naturally admire the Fortezza which is a powerful tangible illustration of the Italian word FORTEZZA, which means both fortress and strength.
But the buildings are empty, while they could become museum spaces, and these along with various events that evoke and bring to life the historical past of the Fortezza would be an attraction and provide experiences and information for the visitor.
And the changes in the classroom, how do you assess them? The shift towards technology and the evolution of the way students work?
As for the unbridled spread of technology, I think it is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, young people really need to learn how to use it because one of the main pillars of modern life is faster access to information of all kinds, but I fear that this constant preoccupation with mobile phone screens, tablets and computer screens inevitably leads to alienation and loneliness. On the other hand, speaking as a painter, I find that very few children today are willing to take the trouble to devote several hours (which they often don't have) to learn to express themselves with watercolours and oil paints, when there is a mobile app that produces a ready-made - but cold - image with a click!
What are your future plans?
I have recently been invited by the historic Galleria della Biblioteca Angelica in Rome to participate with three works in the international exhibition "LIFELINE", the opening of which I will attend on September 24, 2021.
As for the works I am currently creating, they all have a central theme: Light and Water. I try to capture in images the effect of light on water in all its magical manifestations.
