What is different from your art work than other artists working in contemporary realism?
I believe intentions are what makes every work unique. Mine are unpredictable, sometimes. I am mostly inspired by personal memories, abstract feelings and references from movies and music I grew up with. This combination of elements characterizes what I produce.
How important is process versus the end result?
In my case the two are deeply connected. Once the right idea hits me, the creative process evolves quickly; subjects, backgrounds, outfits and props are already in the picture before I touch the brush. They are so clear to me, that ,rarely, I found something different from what I have planned on my canvas.
What is your ultimate goal when creating contemporary realism?
Make the viewers curios about the references and amuse them with the twist I like to add in the composition.
What do you like best about your work?
In the process I like the attention I give to the concept. In the end, I like to see the materializing of my abstract idea.
What do you do you like least about your work?
I would love to be more spontaneous, less obsessed with technical details.
Why contemporary realism?
I consider myself a pragmatic soul, but nothing trigs me more than realistic figures, amazingly executed, immersed in the abstraction of an idea.
Which are your greatest influences?
My very first love was Tamara De Lempicka, flamboyant colors and beautiful women in glamorous and swoony poses. I think I got my imprinting from her, and that would explain the focus of my attention into feminine figures.
Caravaggio, and his incredible dramatic work, definitively represents a level I have always aimed to. Last but not least, Gustave Klimt who stimulated my curiosity with his ethereal pale women, wrapped in symbols and flat fabric.
What is your background?
I used to be a cartoonist and illustrator in my twenties. Life drove me away from that world for several years. Only in my forties I went back to my original passion, and I started to train myself as a painter, with the help of artist friends and a lot of self-teaching. It is now 9 years that I am totally committed to oil painting. And I love it!
Name three artists you'd like to be compared to in history books.
I would love to see my name mentioned next to the three artists named above, that would be of course very ambitious and not very humble.
Which is your favorite contemporary realism artwork today?
A huge masterpiece by Sergio Martinez - The portrait of Desire