An Otherworldly Journey - The Art of Paolo Guido

Even. (Triptych left side) 50 x 70cm, ed. of 2. Digital illustration on Hahnem
ule. Available at Dorothy Circus Gallery, Rome.

Paolo, what means to you showing your work alongside those of Ray Caesar and Natalie Shau?

Alexandra Mazzantihas the merit of this combination: she is theexhibition designer and owner of Dorothy Circus Gallery. It all happened very quickly and i was very glad to accept the offer (simply saying 'yes').

Even. (Triptych central part)
50 x 70cm, ed. of 2. Digital illustration on Hahnemule. Available at
Dorothy Circus Gallery, Rome.

What's your cultural background?

I didn't attend Art schools or academies and i don't make a boast on this. Nevertheless, It was a deeply felt choice that has allowed me to have a less formal access to painting. It's obvious saying that Italy is a country rich in historical tradition and creativeness: even a child can feel it... just breathing the air of this wonderful land. But the word 'History' often implies that the 'Tradition' is subjected to a 'Transition' and sometimes to a 'Treason'. At the same time, i took away from the 'Culture', another concept that can be easily exploited. In the Bel Paese, well-educated people feed on the big names of culture, can gobble and manipulate their thoughts, without having any direct experience of them.

I prefer intelligence, cleverness and understanding capability! So, i prefer the stage of intuition: people can see marvellous things, can catch even their strength and their history, only looking each other in the eyes.

Even. (Triptych right side) 50 x 70cm, ed. of 2. Digital illustration on
Hahnemule. Available at Dorothy Circus Gallery, Rome.



Triptych.

Your works have a decidedly Renaissance imprint although they are the result of a digital experience. What comes out from this unusual "asynchrony" between techniques and characters?

The italian verb 'rinascere' (i.e. 'reborn', from which the term 'Renaissance') is a wonderful word! It sounds good to me! In the Renaissance the foundations for a recovery of classical cultural values were laid, but then they also suffered an evolution (in the 'Mannerism'). I think that in the early period, painting technique were more... hybrid than we can imagine. To be clear, many pictures that are catalogued ad oil paintings, were probably made with a mixture of egg tempera, oil, resin and other mediums whose recipes are very difficult to reconstruct. Digital painting give a great chance of experimentation, if you don't close it in a strict category. I have approached it especially for reason of space, i don't consider myself a digital artist. 'Viator' was born as a digital work, with marked graphic characteristics, then developed in traditional painting and sculpture. 'Viator' is important because it contains the last three steps of a rebirth. From this experience, i have realized that style and technique are sides of the same coin, whose thickness and weight you can value after a long time.

Viator. 35 x 70cm. ed. of 50.
Digital illustration on Hahnemule.Available at Dorothy Circus
Gallery, Rome.

Why are you "obsessed" by childhood? (the questions from one of our followers on facebook).

I never told this! I feel an attraction instead for what is small and for what is big. Abuse of power usually takes place at the exposure of the small ones. If considered in wildlife, it's a natural process, but not in civil society. In any case, this situation produces creativeness. At the moment, i think that Italy passes through a period of so intense degeneration that new interesting development can be introduced.

How long does it take to create an artwork? (on average).

If I should consider only the time factor, probably I can't make an entire work. Certainly, there are deadlines, too!

The triptych 'Even' - made expressly for the exhibition "Would you be my miracle?" - was carried out in a few weeks. I didn't try to hide problems, so time can be perceived as a symbolic presence in the picture.

But I also chose that it couldn't interfere too much: the magic words were "make haste slowly".

Titor. Digital illustration on Hahnemule.

Which aspect of your job You Most like to face? Which not?

The visual and the communicative aspect of a work can't be bypassed; it may happen to have more aptitude for one or sympathy for each other, but it is necessary to reconcile both of them. Rules are necessary. It's very interesting noting that in the 16th century, the so called Arte dell' Impresa developed in Italy. At the beginning of Renaissance, with the diffusion of printing, typographic logos became very popular in Europe. But in Italy they assumed a more esoteric character, such as a sort of secret language. The 'Impresa' (usually a coat of arms accompanied by a sentence) had its own rules: there

was a 'body' (the image) and a 'soul' (the motto). The latter had to be as light as possible: the perfect Impresa needed few words. The myth of 'Agalmatografo ille aphonos' (i.e. silent manufacturer of pictures) was born in this way. I like this definition of the painter such as a speechless poet: I think that a work must be designed to be immediately

understood by the beholder and the author should explain it only occasionally.

In the picture 'Vita nova' (made for the magazine 'L'Espresso', for the 150 anniversary of the Unification of Italy) a young Beatrice is suspended on an empty tomb and invites to the silence, with her finger resting on the lips. She remember us that words are not required to make the soul of a people lighter.

Vita Nova. 40 x 50cm. ed. of
5. Digital illustration on Hahnemule.Available at Dorothy
Circus Gallery, Rome.

What do you hope to accomplish in the next five years of your life?

Five years ago I asked myself the same question, and I can say that I'm satisfied, comparing my answers with the present day. It simply happens!

If you believe in your work, you can create affinities that bring to a realization. For the next five years, instead, I'd like to go beyond my personal working success, towards more vital goals: something like "merry marriages" and fruitful collaborations.

Aviator. 35 x 70 cm. ed. of 50. Digital illustration
on Hahnemule.Available at Dorothy
Circus Gallery, Rome.

Sources of inspiration. (movies, books, music, artists, etc..).
The world is rich in all we need. Perhaps, it can be so rich that make it difficult to know how to manage your own inspiration. Is it better creating a self-containeduniverse or inspiring to models?

I remember a funny cartoon character to which I was very fond... Mio Mao (Felix the cat, in the US). In his early comic stripes, he appeared as a slim and vagabond cat: his adventures were set in lean and surreal places, and he interacted with stupid animals and stupid people, on which he is able to prevail. When the first author of the comics died, a second one succeeded him: Mio Mao's temperament changed. Moreover, scenes became more complex and the cat seemed less smart, more puffy and inclined in the contact with man, almost in search of masters or home. The name of the two cartoonists was the same: Pat Sullivan. I find that this coincidence is magical! It's amusing that Mio Mao's two lives taught me to manage my inspiration: sometimes I feel like the earlier Mio Mao, sometimes I am closer to the last one. And it's funny thinking that the cats are said to have nine lives...

What are you currently working on?
Preparatory drawings.

One reason you make art.
I can't find a reason not to make it.

Visit Guido's album on TISCO