Friend or foe? A Minotaur in the classroom

February 23, 2023

Over several weeks, the children of Oztibarreko ikastola in Larceveau and those of Eperra ikastola in Chéraute shared their classrooms with a Minotaur.

This mythical being, half-man, half-bull, was the subject of a quasi-abstract painting by Felix Anaut, a Spanish artist born in Zaragoza in 1944.

In a whirlwind of hands and feet, the artist makes reference to bullfighting and the paintings of Picasso, for whom the Minotaur was a favourite theme. The painting, which is part of a series, was lent by Itzal aktiboa as part of its "A painting in the classroom" project.

The children experimented with different painting techniques and analyzed Anaut's representation of body parts. Inspired by the dynamism of Anaut's composition, they plunged into their own game of colours and materials,

Anaut studied art at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, and then at the Montparnasse School of Art and Drawing in Paris in 1978-1979. He has lived and worked in England, Ireland and France, and he has now settled in Spain.