Interview

Jun 21

Totalbuio

Totalbuio is a digital artist specializing in realistic portraits. His style is expressed as ‘Imaginative Realism’, because he hopes to create works that lend themselves to different levels of reading. To create his works, he use the iPad and Procreate as software. Each work is made by hand, without the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“I have always been passionate about art, especially figurative art. I studied art history and delved into the psychology that gravitates within art. Even my thesis at university was based on the psychological relationships between man and art. I started creating art as a bet with myself, I asked myself, let's see if I can create something I'm proud of.”

What inspires you?

“The human figure, symbolism, realism, the possibility of creating meanings beyond what can be objectively observed.”

What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?

“I would like to pursue the possibility of creating portraits which, starting from a visible reality, can allow everyone to project their own story. Like a partial but evocative narration of reality. I really hope that there are different readings and messages hidden in my works, but that they cannot be defined univocally, but through the eyes of the beholder.”

How would you describe your work?

“Imaginative realism. I like the terminology and I think it can summarize my approach to art.”

Which artists influence you most?

“The artists who have influenced me most are on the one hand the masters of portraiture and light such as Caravaggio, Velazquez, but also Raphael and Titian. Great portraitists such as Sargent, Jan van Eick. On the other, the lords of symbolism: Dalì, Van Gogh, Hieronymus Bosch, Magritte, De Chirico. These are just to name a few, because the list would be very long.”

“I would like to pursue the possibility of creating portraits which, starting from a visible reality, can allow everyone to project their own story.”

What is your creative process like?

“Usually, an image imprints itself on my mind, like an unconscious mantra or an obsession. At that point, I begin to create sketches of the work, create references, change, model, enrich, remove. Once my mind is satisfied, I start drawing with all the references I created previously. Once the final sketch is finished, I start painting with my brushes, from general to specific, and after several hours and many coffees I usually finish the work. I want to say that I use digital tools, particularly the iPad and Procreate in general, and that I tend to be as faithful as possible to the idea of traditional painting. I draw and paint all the details of my paintings, without too much help from digital, but I use it because it fascinates me as a means of expression and, honestly, because I know how to do it that way.”

What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?

“Art exists because man exists, and human beings cannot help but tell stories in which to describe their time. It is an essential necessity for consciousness to develop. Art is in fact an extension of human consciousness, so it is not so much the artist who should ask himself what his role is in society, but society should ask itself what role it wants to attribute to the artist, because man himself is the artist.”