Caravaggio has always fascinated me for his
dramatic use of light and shadow and for the highly detailed depictions of
bodies which appear out of a completely black background. The stark contrast of
darkness and light and the classical poses of his models as well as the the
emphasis on co-extensive space have been of major inspiration for my work.
The contrast between materiality and the
spiritual aspect of the bodies depicted also intrigue me.
I came across some radiographies of his
paintings in a book, showing what lies under the surface of his paintings which
I found to have a very interesting effect. This gave a ruined appearance to his
work and more importance to the light and shadow contrast to distinguish the
different shapes of the figures because the radiographies are monochrome. The
ephemeral and fragile quality but also the sense of past and immortality deeply
inspired me.
Another interesting image was the juxtaposition of
the underlying layer of the painting and the final painted surface, as if the two were blending together.
I particularly liked the thought of showing
both the hidden layer and the picture we all know of a painting, as well as
some details of certain figures just represented through their outline and the
juxtaposition of faces and bodies, which can be seen in this image. This enables us to see Caravaggio’s thinking
process as well as hidden aspects of the painting.
Luisa Menazzi Moretti
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Solo #19, 2013 Giclée print, cotton paper
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Solo #21, 2013, Giclée print, cotton paper
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In her photographs, close ups of staring
faces bring us near to the subjects, but at the same time this closeness is
broken by the use of (semi-transparent) visual barriers, such as blurs,
juxtapositions and different filters, placing us at a distance from the faces
represented and becoming a metaphor of the separation between ourselves and
what is seen.
This made me reflect on the tension between
closeness and distance that can be present at the same time in daily human
relationships, but also on concealment.
I find the visual barriers aesthetically
appealing and the concept of distance also interested me. The ephemeral quality
given by the visual barriers as well as the sense of a-temporal dimension
created by the ambiguity of something ‘difficult to see’ also appealed to me.
At the same time the aspect of ephemerality
is put into question and replaced by an immortal quality for the fact that the
faces are captured through photography and will forever remain in time in their
stillness-representative of the capacity of photography and art in
general to capture a moment and make it immortal.
Gerhard Richter
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Hands, 1963, Oil on canvas
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What has influenced
me about Richter's 'blurred photo-paintings' particularly was how these create ambiguous images
questioning the meaning we give to an image, which is often unrelated to its
formal content-the formal qualities of the painting are in conflict with its
meaning- therefore also questioning the perception of the viewer, who has
preconceived notions and thoughts when looking at an image. Instead, by
employing ‘visual barriers’ such as the blurring aspect, Richter shows how the
viewer should look at an artwork purely as it is, and not, for example, as an
‘obfuscated image or photograph’. I have utilised this device of obfuscation
myself although through the layering of transparent paper and repeated images.
Eva Hesse
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| No Title ,1970, Mixed media |
The artist’s works led me to question the boundaries between disciplines and in particular how I can combine sculpture and drawing in order to think about experimenting with lines and shapes coming out of the sheet’s surface and invading the viewer’s world. In fact, Eva Hesse creates artworks that are between sculpture and drawing, appropriating certain aspects from drawing to create sculptures which have an ephemeral quality and are based on lines, and drawings which seem escape from the page, therefore becoming three-dimensional objects.
Furthermore I was inspired by the materiality of her ‘line-sculptures’ which have a fragile and light quality but at the same time seem to have weight and gravitate towards the ground.
The works which most fascinated me were her pieces where lines seem to grow out of the canvas, almost like an organic element taking a life of its own. The drawn lines or marks, which are usually contained inside the limited surface of the page or canvas, here instead invade our space, the three-dimensional world.
Mira Schendel
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Untitled (Disks), 1972, Transfer lettering and graphite on paper between acrylic sheets, 4 pins and nylon fishing wire
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Trenzinho (Little Train), 1965, Rice paper and cotton thread
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I was drawn to this artist because of her works too break the boundaries between two-dimensional disciplines and sculpture.
The conventional approach of the two-dimensional language is disrupted by the artist by placing it within three-dimensional objects that move in space.
Her works, for example large scale sheets of paper, are often installed hanging from the ceiling and suspended in mid-air so that elements can be seen on both sides of the support where she works on.
This is also achieved by using see through, fragile and semi-transparent materials and surfaces, like rice paper, which also express fragility, in contrast to traditional sculpture.
This can be seen for example in her work ‘Untitled (Disks)’, made in 1972, where both sides of the transparent disk show graphite inscriptions and printed transfer lettering, which blur together.
Umberto Manzo
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Untitled, 2016, Mixed media on paper and canvas, wood, iron, glass
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In Umberto Manzo's works, fragments taken from classical imagery and photographs are juxtaposed with the artist's own personal memories, represented by used-sketched or written-sheets of paper, collaged onto the surface of the canvas. Personal memory and classicism are, therefore, fused in his pieces. This juxtaposition of old and new interested me and has directed me to look at classical and ancient imagery for inspiration and to make collage experiments.
Each piece seems to hold a whole archive of very personal thoughts and memory, of which content however is hidden from the viewer because of how it is arranged and layered on the canvas-each piece of paper covering a part of the other, so that only small streaks appear. Another interesting feature of his work is that the simplicity of the silhouetted forms is in
contrast with the abundance of the layered paper, expressing the fact that
we are more complicated than we seem, leading me to reflect on the concept of the complexity and hidden aspect of our identities.
The colours, and the old feel given by the quality of old paper, the use of fragments instead of whole figures and the division of the image in different canvases, also greatly impacted my work.
Eva Kotatkova
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| Head no.2: Busy Head (Hearing voices hallucination), 2018, Wire |
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Drawing from the 'House Arrest' series, 2009, Ink and pencil on paper
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Koťátková works represent the invisible, by materialising a feeling or situation that results from restrictions related to social systems and institutions, such as schools and mental health institutions.
The recurrent image of the cage, (drawn over photographs of
people, or in a sculptural form,) symbolizes these social institutions that limit our imagination and thoughts. The cage also represents the mind, which is therefore seen as a form of structure, concealing and imprisoning real thoughts and dreams.
The concepts of imprisonment, concealment and
restriction, not only imposed by others but also by ourselves, and showing the invisible inside of the cage, have inspired my
work and have made me think about the body as a restriction to our interior
self.
Louise Bourgeois
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Spider (Cell), 1997, Mixed media
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Louise Bourgeois is
another artist who influenced me in terms of the concept of the cell, as well as imprisonment and inner world connected to one’s personal memory. Her works also
fascinated me for the fact that they are full of details carrying symbolic and metaphorical meanings. She represents relationships and conflicts
between the inner world and the outer world. An example is her installation
‘Spider web’: a cage with a reproduction of her house inside and with a giant
spider surrounding, seen as a protection and a restriction at the
same time.
Her cells are a representation of the
concealment of her personal suffering connected to her childhood memories, the
emotional and psychological pain. In fact, she takes inspiration from the past,
as if wanting to stop time, or as if time had stopped and remained fixed in the
years of her childhood.
Nebojsa Despotovic
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Floating Fields, 2017, Oil and acrylic on canvas
 | Time to come, 2018, Acrylic and residues on pvc
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I am especially interested by the materials used as surfaces to paint on which are unconventional, as the artist paints on large
pieces of fabric, transparent materials which are then also displayed in
an unconventional manner, for example going over the surface of the wall onto the
floor, invading the viewer’s space, or in front of sources of light, such as
windows, changing the overall effect of the art piece-making me reflect on the space around the artwork. Furthermore it is interesting to see the
effect given by different materials and techniques used in the same piece as
well as different pieces of fabric collaged together to create a unified piece.
The colours the artist employs which are mainly light, greyish and beige, and the fluidity of the lines depicting the
subjects also appeal to me.
Jane Hammond
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Untitled (Red Frog 2), 2000, Ink and watercolor on gampi paper
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Jane Hammond explores the meaning
behind images and questions relationships and assumptions surrounding them. This is usually represented by placing random fragments together
to create a piece - old and new pop culture and religious icons for example are
juxtaposed, and traditional Oriental images and materials are placed
next to colourful, shiny images and drawings of
Western popular culture.
I was inspired by the disposition of her
paper pieces, collaged together, and the colourful fragments on fragile or
transparent materials, which seem to represent our current situation of accumulation of images where sacred and
profane are nearly indistinguishable and placed at the same level.
Nicola Samorì
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Sordina, 2017, Oil on copper
 | Anulante, 2018, Oil on copper
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I found interesting
the concept of the simultaneous fragility and resistance of
ancient paintings communicated by Samorì's works. This is achieved through a process of creation
and destruction: the artist paints elaborated, accurate and realistic
paintings, usually reproductions of ancient paintings, (in particular he looks
at Baroque painting, which I am also particularly fond of) , to then
‘ruin’ their surface through scraping and modifying it, and adding new details
to the underlying layer.
(Reflection and challenge of time, )the
painting is made to look old and ruined by time, as if the painting had been
through a process of material deterioration.. Destruction and reconstruction of
the once glorious art of the West, by reproducing and reinterpreting it. This process also
contributes in creating different surfaces, textures and layers to the piece
and enables the viewer to see under the surface of the painting. Showing how the
outer layer can be very different to the deeper, more fragile one.
Siân Bowen
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Seal, 2000, Print on paper
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Pledge: Soundpiece II, 2000, Ink, pigment and rice starch on paper
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Sian Bowen's practice is research based, employing different sites of knowledge and aiming at finding relationships
between different fields, such as Fine Art, Science, Archaeology and looking at
archives or museum contexts.
I am inspired by Sian bowen’s practice, for
her archaeological approach and in particular for the subtle and ephemeral aspect of her work. I am interested especially in her exploration
on the transformative potential of the
paper material, (modified through different techniques and processes, for
example through carving and pinpointing) reflecting on both the conceptual and
material aspects of paper. I am also interested in the reproduction
of invisible concepts such as light (the artist draws in relation to light and the
surrounding space), the traces we leave and the passage of time, which are
equally conveyed through the material qualities of the paper and surfaces she
uses. The process of carving and going through the surface of the paper to reveal what is under the surface and the light behind especially inspires me.
Her works and processes convey fragility,
lightness and a sense of time, and ephemerality, but these qualities are also explored in their relationship with material and physical aspects.
