Deluze elucidates how art idiosyncratically generates a form of thought and knowledge that is able to contribute to an understanding of the human condition  –  a form of thought and knowledge that is very different from the discursive modalities philosophy deploys. Because of that dynamic of being different, the visual production of ideas can never be comprised in static systems of signification or well-defined frameworks of interpretation (p. 4).

The question in my artistic endeavor was: how to reflect the process of the visual cognitive interaction between the artist’s composite of creative forms, which are suggested to the spectator as an aesthetic language of communication? The application of reversed binocular optics as a filter distorting the realistic perception of the proposed surfaces permits the spectator to experience the artwork’s intrinsic content, while sharing takes place in the closed intimate space. The pyramidal white box separate the chosen creative space from the external world allowing to the spectator to participate in the process of reception of the aesthetic impulses, which provokes the spectator’s aesthetic responses. At the same time the separation of the artwork’s interior space from external distraction and interference of various structural and physical forms, permits the viewer to focus on the process of assessing and explore better the encoded symbolism of the artistic composition, which is suggested to him/her.

The title of my artwork Camera Bianca: Relational Me symbolically consists of two parts, which are united together by the concept of visual perception of three dimensionality of the gallery space. In this particular artwork I am interested in creation of dimensionality of objects through various optical means. The first part of the title, Camera Bianca, reflects as a form the creative womb, which separates the imaginary creative world of artistic fantasy in opposition to the Camera Obscura principles to reflect reality. The Camera Obscura mirrors the reality and the imaginary liberty is not possible. The Camera Bianca is not about recreation of reality, but about its creative encoded deformation. The proposal to the spectator is to explore the creative composition through reversed optics using binoculars symbolizes how the viewer perceives the artwork. The artist’s imaginative world of suggested aesthetics to the receptive spectator is always distorted by the cognitive incompatibilities. The binoculars principal role is to approach the desired area or the objects of our interest in order to let us see closer and enjoy somehow the normally unreachable distanced zones without the necessity of displacement. It also distorts the real perception of things, but does not create dimensions. However, when used in reverse it creates an artificial sensation of three-dimensional space. In consequence any composition of line and form, when looked through the reversed binoculars, cause a kind of faulty visual dimensionality.

The second part of the title, Relational Me, is conceived using a coded symbolism of compositional elements, which reflects on my personal voyage through the process of my earthy existence. I chose for this purpose a fragment of my most reoccurring contrasted thoughts united by the territory of the canvas I assigned to them. The figurative forms are placed in a disruptive way in order to create the impression of fragmentary thoughts interacting with each other and through the visual content create narrative context to explore. I was looking for a way to enhance the dimensionality of my artwork through narrative, which was conceived on the raw linen of canvas. I found out that when using white on the linen natural surface a contrast was created between these two colors giving an impression of three-dimensional space. The application of the reversed binocular optics allowed an additional spectrum to the artwork’s narrative and provokes the spectator’s visual senses to perceive the enhanced dimensional aesthetics.

To conclude, I found this experience motivating for further explorations using the dimensionality of sculptural and flat surfaces, which could be enhanced with the use of various optic configurations and different contrasted materials. This kind of experimental practice engages the spectator in relational communication with the artist’s creative narratives projected and shared in the intimacy of a specified and enclosed space for the visual experience, which is intentionally deformed through the optical means in order to reflect the cognitive aspects of the process of seeing and perceiving. Following the Rancière’s ideas, which reflect on the question of dominance and subjection during the process of the viewer’s exposure to the creative activity of artistic expression, in the case of Camera Bianca: Relational Me the viewer and the artist balance harmoniously aspects concerning subjection.

The main purpose of me sketching in direct is to study the innumerable variety of forms and color nuances in order to prepare a source of information which I will explore even further when working on large size canvas. These sketches are for me a kind of coded notebook for the future paintings.

Click here to see images in the Portfolio

I chose to conclude my display by my own interpretation of the Albrecht Dürer’s artwork, which illustrates The Revelation of St John’s number 4, The Four Riders of the Apocalypse. The painting summarizes my artistic intervention into the viewer’s cognitive space by exposing her/him to a provocative depiction of social interrelations, which are viewed by me as an apocalyptic process of learning about ourselves. My decision to disregard the aesthetic canons of artistic display and take the risk to experience an aesthetic disorder permitted me to cross the border of my creative limitations and open space for learning the freedom of artistic gesture. I sincerely believe that by doing so I provoked questions and disagreements, and if it did my artistic experience has been successfully completed.

I would like to conclude my statement with a quote from John Dewey’s book Art as Experience (2005), “Experience is the result, the sign, and the reward of that interaction of organism and environment which, when it is carried to the full, is a transformation of interaction into participation and communication.”

Click here to see the artwork.

“To write is perhaps … to select the whispering voices, to gather the tribes and secret idioms from which I extract something I call myself.” (Jarrett, 2007, p. 79)

To paint is perhaps … to select the whispering colors, to gather the silhouettes of thoughts and secret idioms from which I extract something I call myself.

Following the path of appropriated and partially modified quote from Deleuze and Guattari I am researching to … extract something I call myself. Influenced by my present studies at Concordia University I am tempted to exteriorize in visual form the creative process of my studying and researching for my own character of creative expression. Through the metaphoric visual language of color and line I explore and apprehend the process of my learning. To contextualize the flow of my thoughts and my imaginary visions I am inspired by the panoramic views of the city from the windows of Concordia University SGW building. When walking through the corridors and different floors one can feel the air filled with a mass of creative thoughts bouncing against each other and looking for an outlet to materialize their weightless bodies of unspecified shapes visible only to the artistic sensibility. All this amalgam of emotions influences the explorative energies of my perception of surrounding me cognitive reality of the university space. Gazing through the university windows I absorb the open space of structures, lines, and colors as creative nourishment for my artistic quest. The only thing separating me from this abyss of colorful energies is the materiality of the glass and the window framing. The parapet marks the border of my reach as it did in the Renaissance sacred paintings where the divine was separated from the mortal. However, in my case I am switching the sides and placing the divine in the university interior space as a cohesive representation of its intellectual force, which is guiding my creative impulses.

Taking in consideration the fact that the artist statement is a common practice considered by many as essential to any aspiring artist in his or hers artistic quest for recognition on the institutionalized artistic market. Furthermore, in general conception the artist statement proofs the artist’s cognitive maturity. However, this practice exists as a controversial act to some artists and I am one of them. Not everything needs to be explained. Making art is a creative process, which sometimes the artist himself cannot explain and pretending that we always know what we do might seem as a little exaggeration. I asked myself many times a question: why do I have to explain what I paint? The only reasonable answer I have to it is that some viewers feel more comfortable to know what the artist want to express through his artwork, especially when it is an “abstract” representation. In general what happens during the artist’s creative process is difficult to explain and I am sure that many of us just follow the mysterious energies of electrons floating in the labyrinth of our brain attracting each other or pushing off in the process of electric discharge, which moves the hand with the brush or any other medium leaving on the surface scars of this electro-volcanic process. The truth is that artist statement facilitates the intellectual reception of the creative visual content. However, the figurative painting is mostly self-explanatory creation and over intellectualization of its content is to me unnecessary activity.

In my recent series of paintings I want to show how in my perception the artist statement interacts with the kind of art I do. Does it help to understand better what I paint or it acts rather like a distracting element. To me, the artist statement is like voile. Personally, I agree with Archibald MacLeish’s phrase “should not mean but be” and so I prefer to look at the face without the voile so I can read its psychological cartography, but it is my way to see the issue at this time.

Click here to see the artwork.

The Gallery “Europe 2010″ contain the collection of sketches executed during my recent voyage in Italy, France and Poland. The drawings reflect my personal perception of places I had the pleasure to see and enjoy in a way an artist does.

Click here to see the artwork.

Click here to see the artwork in Portfolio.

I would like to invite everyone to visit my newly opened Art Gallery.

You are welcome to have a walk through some of my chosen artwork.

The gallery will be regularly up-dated and the content might change accordingly.

Have a great digital stroll!

Bienvenue a ma galerie d’art.

Je vous invite de la visiter et découvrir mes dessins et mes tableaux.

Le contenu de la galerie sera régulièrement actualisé.

Je vous souhaite une belle promenade virtuelle !

To visit the Art Gallery click here.

The Contemporary Venice is hosting the most important Biennial of Contemporary Art in the World today. The beauty of this city is irresistible to anyone, especially to all creative souls.

In the series of paintings La Serenissima, inspired by my first visit in Venice, I want to visualize the traces of the historic time imprisoned in the surface of the city facades. I want to express the poetic ambiance of thy city-fragmented surfaces adding to its exterior the fragmentary images of my subconscious memories. I am looking to express the sublime allegory of Venetian heritage and try to combine the Venetian historic past with its Contemporary realities. It is for me the search for the temps perdu, which I want to visualize in Contemporary way in my recent artwork.

To see the selection of La Serenissima paintings click here.

Original artwork is available for sell in my Art Gallery

To see the selection of drawings please click here.

model1web

◄ Back

Next ►

Picture 1 of 43

Model studies, acrylic paint on linen canvas.

France, Limoges
October 2009