What inspired you to create artwork and become an artist?
As a child, I drew a lot. It was a great way for me to escape. I was geographically isolated. I had few outside contacts outside of school relationships.
I loved looking at art books. I felt close to these famous artists who had followed their path. As a teenager, I drew and created a lot of superheroes. For example, I was a fan of the magazine "Strange" and artists such as Frazetta. I was already attracted to this aestheticization of bodies and these fantastic universes. Later, around the age of 20, I left my parents' home to follow this artistic path that I had so desired.
What is your artistic background, the techniques and subjects you have experimented with to date?
First of all, I started with acrylic, because it dried and executed quite quickly. This medium corresponded to the already strong demand of the moment. The downside was that I found the colours shallow: it was quite complicated to obtain subtle skin tones.
I decided to go for oil painting.
The transition was not without its difficulties. My production rate was slowed down. This new palette, richer and more extensive in tones, really corresponded to what I was looking for.
As for the first themes addressed, they were quite diverse and seemed to me to be of little commercial use. I keep them as memories of my beginnings.
In 1986 I decided to make my passion for drawing and painting a reality. I participated in various exhibitions in the south of France, through associations. This allowed me five years later to exhibit in a Marseille gallery. My paintings, representing women, were then visible in a first exhibition with a group of artists, alongside the works of the guest of honor, Bernard BUFFET.
It was a success and clearly marked my entry into the world of galleries as a professional artist-painter.
I drew my influences from the works of Da Vinci, Vermeer, Toulouse-Lautrec, Manet, Klimt, Balthus, Dali. I also explored Greco-Roman mythology - nymphs, fauns... - as well as the fantastic universe of the film "Beauty and the Beast" by Jean Cocteau, where the gentle feminine sensuality opposed masculine animality.
Then, I explored more precisely the world of eroticism. This world opened the doors of the Parisian gallery "Les Larmes d'Eros" for me. The exhibitions were very successful.
Through this gallery, I met established artists in this field such as Alex Varenne, Hubert de Lartigue, Jean-Pierre Ceytaire, Gilles Berquet…
For a period, I studied the abstract path.
Today, my main production is centered on the representation of the female model, of which I explore all the facets, "wise" or "naughty" through fantastic tales, and references paying homage to other recognized artists.
What are the 3 aspects that differentiate you from other artists, making your work unique?
I don't think I can say that my work is "unique". From the various comments gleaned here and there, I remember this: the "old school" technique used - glazed oil painting - recalling in turn the Renaissance period, Toulouse-Lautrec or Klimt, depending on the period; the erotic - even pornographic - subjects with a touch of candor in the models' gaze, and finally, "non-realistic" female characters, sometimes with disproportionate shapes.
Where does your inspiration come from?
Over the years, I have focused on the female body. My imagination has taken precedence over everyday scenes. Mythology and cinema are my first sources of inspiration. Then the vast theme of eroticism attracted me. I explored it with great curious attention.
"Inspiration", what we call the creative impulse, a vast mystery, is born somewhere in the mind, but you do not direct it, it is it that invites itself, or not.
What is your artistic approach? What visions, sensations or feelings do you want to evoke in the viewer?
I painted from female models. This theme is very attractive as a man.
Indirectly, my approach can be translated by a certain candor in my view of women: tender, fascinated or fantasized. I have always painted without putting myself under the influence of any social or protest movement of the moment.
Freedom of expression that I affirm, especially in erotic painting, an easy target for a prudishness that I consider to be from another age.
That the spectator lets himself go and can visit his unconscious, that he is touched, that this can lead to an exchange or a debate, during a preview for example.
What I mentioned above; adding that human beings should be made to fully assume their fantasies, while obviously respecting those of others. Some current or past societies and cultures do not allow this.
What is the process of creating your works? Is it spontaneous or is it based on a long preparatory process (technique, inspiration from art classics or other)?
First, I started with acrylic, because the drying and execution were quite fast and corresponded to the rather sustained demand of the moment. But the downside was that I found the colors shallow, and it was quite complicated to obtain subtle complexions. I opted for oil painting. The transition was not without difficulty.
My production rate slowed down. However, this new palette, richer in tones and also more extensive, fully met what I was looking for.
Do you use a particular working technique? If so, can you explain it?
No, not really, every day, first thing in the morning, I sit down at my easel. This work is interspersed with short breaks during which I take the opportunity to take stock of the painting in progress or other more general ideas. I end my day, a bit like everyone else!
Are there any innovative aspects in your work? Can you tell us what they are?
I don't think there are any innovative aspects in my work.
I don't know how to answer this point. As an autodidact, I practice by "empiricism". Another point where it is up to the spectator and not the artist to indicate this. This applies to art in general which evolves, either in a fluid and regular manner, or in jerks, like Picasso with cubism, which for once is truly innovative.
Do you have a format or medium that you are most comfortable with? If so, why?
I like medium sizes, like A4 and smaller, for drawings.
I work with larger formats for painting up to 60F (130 x 97 cm). Beyond this format, I don't feel comfortable: I want the model to remain "human-sized".
Where do you produce your works? At home, in a shared studio or in your own studio? And in this space, how do you organize your creative work?
At home, I set up my workshop in a room. I don't have any real organization. It's chaos. I don't feel like tidying up this room that serves as a workshop. Sometimes, I do tidy up!
Does your job require you to travel to meet new collectors, for fairs or exhibitions? If so, what does it bring you?
I sometimes go to openings and as mentioned above, the discussions are most of the time interesting, passionate and this represents for me a breath of fresh air and energy. The fact that others can communicate about my work. I am not indifferent to it.
How do you imagine the evolution of your work and your career as an artist in the future?
I live in the present, and never project into the future.
How do you imagine the evolution of your work and your career as an artist in the future?
Always the same, oil painting with the theme of mythical monsters accompanying a female character, or tributes to other artists. In the latter case, I try to reflect and draw inspiration from their technique and their way of creating.
Can you tell us about your most important exhibition experience?
Maybe not the "most important", I don't have one, but certainly the most unpleasant: It was an exhibition of an erotic nature with pornographic details, although I don't like this term, taking place in a "pop-up" art center in Hamburg, about fifteen years ago already. During the opening, I was really disappointed by the atmosphere. I thought, given the theme of the exhibition, that it was going to be crazy, extroverted, etc.
Quite the opposite. The audience was reserved, few people were comfortable. No one came to meet me to talk about my works! The language barrier was also a reason…
Throughout my career, the openings have gone pretty well.
If you could create a famous work in the history of art, which one would you choose? And why?
I have already been inspired by Vinci's "Mona Lisa" and Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring", of which I have produced several versions... Currently, I prefer to focus on personal productions.
If you could invite any famous artist (dead or alive) to dinner, who would it be? How would you suggest they spend the evening?
Artist... in what field? I've never really thought about this question. Maybe none! I'd be afraid of being disappointed by the person, if I admire their work a lot.
I was able to fulfill this "wish" by having dinner very recently with the cartoonist Tanino LIBERATORE. This meeting went wonderfully well: great artist, deeply human, approachable and simple despite his great talent!
Olimpia Gaia Martinelli
