What inspired you to create art and become an artist? (events, feelings, experiences...)
The innate desire to draw and then paint has never taken away my impression that it is something natural for everyone to do. For my part, although not pursuing it for exhibition purposes, I have always nurtured drawing and various painting techniques over time. Following certain circumstances that allowed me to devote more time to painting, I followed the path indicated by the various exhibition opportunities that came my way.
What is your artistic background, and what techniques and materials have you experimented with so far?
For me, drawing has always been the fundamental discipline to adhere to when representing what one wishes to express. For this reason, although I never had living mentors, I relied on the great masters of the past: first by copying them, then imitating them, and finally inventing my own approach. I was especially guided by my natural inclination toward perspective, which I refined during my engineering studies and my three years of teaching the subject in evening technical high schools. The techniques I have used are the classics: charcoal, ink, watercolor, tempera, and oil, eventually arriving at the medium I feel most suited to—acrylic on canvas.
What are the three aspects that differentiate you from other artists, making your work unique?
I can answer confidently because these distinctive characteristics have often been pointed out by observers, and they are: the subjects, the perspective vision, and the color.
Where does your inspiration come from?
I rarely paint based on specific subject requests (portraits being an exception). Instead, I follow thematic paths that captivate me from time to time, such as Africa, war, or simply people and their behavior. In fact, the latter is the theme I currently pursue the most, fully aware that collectors often find themselves astonished, if not uncomfortable, when confronted with an image that could perhaps reflect themselves.
What is your artistic approach? What visions, sensations, or emotions do you want to evoke in the viewer?
My wife, a great supporter of my work, says that every image has a soul searching for it; I too believe this. The challenge lies in successfully bringing those souls together with their image. When creating a piece, I don’t deliberately aim to evoke specific emotions in the viewer. What truly overwhelms and concerns me—perhaps selfishly—is the fear of wasting time on something that doesn’t satisfy me. In reality, the emotional state the viewer might experience is something I feel myself first.
What is your creative process? Is it spontaneous or involves a long preparatory phase (technical, inspired by art classics, or otherwise)?
Images form in my mind depending on the circumstances. They could arise as a significant series of subjects, which I sketch and develop into a specific theme, or simply from a gesture—observed by chance on the street—that reveals the subject’s emotional state. I then translate it onto the canvas, adapting the original image to the blank rigidity of the canvas.
Do you use any particular working technique? If so, can you explain it to me?
I don’t use techniques beyond the classical ones necessary to compose the artwork. I also use carefully tested colors to avoid unpleasant surprises over time. Over the years, I’ve witnessed devastating alterations in colors, which were initially chosen to create specific effects but faded over time, stripping the artwork of its intended meaning.
Are there innovative aspects in your work? Can you tell us about them?
I’ve realized that the innovation within my paintings lies simply in creating works that don’t require lengthy explanations about the psychological or existential motivations behind them. Instead, they encourage viewers to create their own stories based on the images, which are essentially fragments of the narratives that inevitably come to mind when stimulated.
Do you have a format or medium you feel most comfortable with? If so, why?
I feel very comfortable working with acrylics on canvas. For pieces on cardboard or paper, I use various techniques.
Where do you create your works? At home, in a shared studio, or in your own studio? How do you organize your creative work in this space?
The size of my works generally doesn’t require very large spaces, although I am equipped to create large-scale pieces when needed, for which I have a dedicated space. Since I split my time between two cities, a section of a room in each home suffices for most of my work.
Does your work lead you to travel to meet new collectors, attend fairs, or participate in exhibitions? If so, what motivates you?
I traveled extensively in the past, not for leisure, which I find boring and tiring, but for work, including painting. Nowadays, I’m more settled and only travel when circumstances demand it. I finally dedicate myself to contemplating the most beautiful landscapes that exist: people, with all their virtues and flaws. In these interactions, often related to art, I frequently visit museums, exhibitions, and vernissages.
How do you envision the evolution of your work and your artistic career in the future?
I don’t mean to sound dramatic, but what future can we predict except one where art culture is shared more with the younger generation, rather than being overshadowed? Just a few days ago, someone not entirely inexperienced claimed that my paintings were made with a plotter—opinions skewed by technological progress. At this rate, beautiful prints will suffice, and painting will decline, much like the discipline of drawing has already been degraded, although fortunately kept alive by talented comic artists. Beyond this, I refrain from predicting the future because I’ve always been wrong.
What is the theme, style, or technique of your latest artistic work?
My latest works are canvases depicting human subjects in their everyday existence, alongside a series of thirty drawings on cardboard of various sizes. These drawings, created with a fountain pen, represent urban landscapes interpreted through multi-focus perspectives.
Can you tell us about your most significant exhibition experience?
I’ve held numerous exhibitions, both in Italy and abroad, which I regard as equally important. However, the one that holds the fondest memory for me is the exhibition in Milan at the "Daverio Library," organized by Philippe Daverio himself. He was a delightful person of great culture, who sadly is no longer with us, but he lives on in our memories for his remarkable humanity.
If you could create a famous artwork from art history, which would it be? And why?
I would avoid the daunting task of choosing just one from the thousands of works I admire because I can’t decide on a favorite. Instead, I’d turn to a random artist among those who adorned the caves of Lascaux. These primitive yet highly talented individuals possessed the genius to transition from the three-dimensionality of a living animal to a two-dimensional representation without the benefit of a cultural "background" spanning thousands of years.
If you could invite a famous artist (alive or deceased) to dinner, who would it be? How would you suggest spending the evening?
I would invite the aforementioned primitive artist. Despite likely being a bit unruly at the table, our conversation, conducted through gestures and sounds, would undoubtedly be clearer than some of the critical writings I’ve had the chance to read here and there.
Olimpia Gaia Martinelli
