The philosophy behind my works: The Contrast – Part Two

In this article, we take up the discussion started in the previous one (if you missed it, you can read it by clicking here), where I told you about the fact that contrast is one of the main elements underlying the philosophy of my works.

I have already told you about how I get this effect thanks to the pedestal’s use, which is a real recurring theme in my works.

Now I want to talk to you about the second “tool” I use to achieve the much sought after contrast effect, and this is:

The background and the decontextualization of the subject

It is known that the background of a painting or a drawing constitutes in itself the real setting of the work.

But there are different kinds of backgrounds …

These can highlight the main subject, add important iconographic details, or simply “accompany” the work.

My drawings’ background has the peculiarity of alienating the portrayed subject from its natural environment, from the preconceived image of its daily life.

If, for example, we think of an orangutan, we imagine him sitting on the branch of a tree, immersed in the jungle’s dense vegetation.

But what if, instead of centuries-old trees, he was surrounded by a setting that does not belong to him, completely foreign, such as, for example, a golden damask?This decontextualization of the creature from its normal environment, and the use of the pedestal as a means and essential tool to highlight the subject and observe it with new eyes, allow us to ennoble it and see it in a completely different and alien way, almost as if it was the first time this appeared in front of us.

This is the role of the background in each of my drawings – seen from the contrast point of view.

If you want to see some unusual and completely unexpected combinations and if you want to find out how these change in relation to the subject portrayed, then I invite you to click on the links below.
– Click here to see the collection of Animals on Pedestal
– Click here to see the collection of Female Portraits

And now I would say that also for this topic I have told you enough…

If you want to read the next and last article on the subject of contrast, you will find the link below.
– Click here to read the article “The philosophy behind my works: The Contrast – Part Three”

Now I’d better go back to sharpening the pencils. See you soon!