Page 144 - Famous

MIRSO BAJRAMOVIC

Lives and works in Gennep, The Netherlands
w w w.mirso.nl

Mirso Bajramovic: not a son of tepid Western shores. If you are gifted and talked-about foreigners we ever had over here), despite
searching for Mirso Bajramovic you should not look in Dubrovnik or all, still foreigners whenever they seriously started thinking or writing
Sarajevo, but in Gennep. Whereas that is not the humblest of towns, or something as thought-provoking? Or have we, conversely, been
and whereas, in encyclopedias and dictionaries, Gennep and Bosnia taking them as our examples in finding out how to become just as
are practically neighbors, it is still a long way getting from one to the exemplary Dutchmen as all those other well-brought up (Spinozist-
other in the real world. or Cartesian-trained) `boys of Jan de Witt`? Quite a few foreigners
Bajramovic and his family can tell you all about that. Mirso is a became honorary Dutchmen, and so did us credit as well. And quite
Dutchman, by the way, and if you want to see him you will have to a few Dutchmen - including many painters - apprenticed themselves
speak Dutch, preferably Dutch offshore in order to become uni-
without a trace of a Bosnian or versally respected Dutchmen in
Gennepian accent. Actually his the end. To become is better than
Dutch is so free of outlandish or to be. Allow me to state that we,
inlandish blots that no one could the Dutch, should renounce our
be and sound more immaculately rights to almost all our exemplary
the Dutchman. Whereas he, as Dutch painters, scientists and
was to be expected, is not a `son even clergymen as soon as we
of tepid Western shores` (as the s t ar t having second thought s
Portuguese Dutch poet Isaäc da about their Flemish, German, Ital-
Costa described himself). Yet he ian French, Portuguese or even
even speaks the Gennep idiom Hungarian (i.e. the Maris brothers)
fluently, if so desired; he does not backgrounds. The Belgians, it has
feel superior to the angels about been claimed, apodictically, do
whom Mark Twain said that they not exist. Question: do the Dutch
even speak their mother language exist? And if they do, how many
- angelic ENGLISH, naturally - with of them were once extremely rich
an accent. or poor Flemish, French, Spanish,
W ha t is c er t ain is t ha t Mir s o German, Italian or Por tuguese
Bajramovic is an artist, a painter, immigrants or Indo-Dutchmen?
and, furthermore: a Dutch painter. A not her qu e s tio n : how many
Question: can that epithet `Dutch` French artists are left if one dis-
be inferred from his paintings as regards all foreign `French` artists
well as from his passport? - Dutchmen, Russians, Belgians,
Is his art as sonorously Dutch as Algerians, Romanians, Japanese,
his voice and letters? Or did the Bulgarians, not to mention Bos-
Bosnian who integrated in `no time` nians, Serves and Croatians? Are
in so exemplary a manner, remain there any American artists, apart
an alien in the Dutch art world, one from the Sioux, Comanches, Hopis,
who becomes a foreigner (with Zunis and Navahos, who are not
mitigating circumstances), as soon the descendants of foreigners
as he sits down behind his easel? with or without residence permits
Were Spinoza and Descartes (to - of Americans with un-American
mention two of the most highly countries of origin? Now let me
144
FAMOUS
CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS