Breaking free from fear
How Michael Villagante’s personal challenges shaped his art
Michael Villagante is not one to shy away from pain, both physical and psychological. “What inspired me,” the visual artist said, “is my own fear.” The artist was speaking against the backdrop of his latest show, “Higher Ground” at Art Verite, and the driving force behind this visual exercise in intellectual and emotional vulnerability.
Villagante, as an artist, has always cultivated a unique brand of authenticity, palpable only when a soul lays itself bare on the canvas. The artist’s previous works revealed his personal struggle during a difficult and challenging physical time owing to a troubling tumor. It was during this time that he channeled the hopelessness he felt during the fight for his life into
The meticulous details within Villagante’s paintings reveal the careful thought required of each piece, with every element a vital component of the world he creates within his canvas.
creative energy, giving birth to poignant and evocative works. In this recent collection, Villagante moves away from a discussion of physical pain and delves into another dimension of healing within. “It’s a different concept,” he said, stressing that for him, prayer paves the way for healing.
The change towards a more meditative approach is palpable even in how music now interacts with his creative process. While Villagante continues to indulge his musical side, often practicing and playing his bass guitar to relax and balance his mood, he shares that he finds himself cultivating a quieter atmosphere that is conducive to concentration and relaxation.
Featuring a total of seven works, with the biggest piece spanning six by eight feet, “Higher Ground” reveals subtle but distinct changes that showcase Villagante’s evolution as an artist. While his older collection features animals, flora, and fauna in the background, highlighting the strength inherent in its unique characteristics, his more recent approach reveals softer and finer strokes alongside his signature aesthetic where man and woman embrace their raw and natural forms.
For this latest show, Villagante said, he juxtaposes the unnatural world with the natural, placing it “on top of the sky” to highlight this play of opposites. This also most evident in the centerpiece of the collection, “Higher Ground.” Writhing bodies come together, with limbs intertwined, with no beginning and end, in the form of the heart, suspended in an ocean of clouds. “This is my heart,” Villagante said, simply “I wanted peacefulness and calmness. No more fear and pretentions, only full of love and happiness and generous life.”
While not heavily subscribing to their aesthetics, Villagante cites Rene Magritte, Salvador Dali, Edvard
Munch, and Hieronymus Bosch as the artists that have greatly informed and inspired him. Additionally, there is a noticeable move towards pop icon element that serves as hidden Easter eggs within collection. This includes Jeff Koons’ balloon dog, the iconic red tongue in The Rolling Stones, the dreadful flying glove from The Beatles movie Yellow Submarine, Hello Kitty, the Kiss. Building on the modern allusions, he also slowly weaves in elements of comic illustration. The works are a revelation of Villagante’s reflections on his childhood memories, thoughts on UFO and life beyond the clouds, unafraid to show that innocence and wonder can thrive despite the modern trappings of society.
The meticulous details within Villagante’s paintings reveal the careful thought required of each piece, with every element a vital component of the world he creates within his canvas. The delicate nature of his approach also showcases the rigorous discipline that Villagante subscribed to “from the very first process with the first coat to the outline drawing, the under base, and after, drying them up, to the last touch of details.” “My final touch is very sensitive when it comes to details,” he said. “I need to do it patiently. I have to do it accordingly, step by step.” Villagante immerses himself in the painstaking process which is indicative of the ethos of excellence that informs his routine. “If I skip, or cheat myself,” he said, “It takes longer and the outcome won’t be good.”
Villagante continues to move towards his color scheme, the color of moss, cerulean blue, and raw sienna bring further emphasized in the context of his muted pallets. In a nod to his subtle move towards modernism and pop culture, he experimented with pops of red and yellow. Villagante said, he invariably finds himself going back to his familiar hues. The artist continues to challenge himself, looking towards other mediums such as watercolor with charcoal and acrylic, oil with charcoal, black and white, which, he said, is something he is looking to study explore in order to reach the desired outcome.
There is a wealth of wisdom that emanates from the works of Villagante. In his candid explorations of life’s ups, and downs, the natural and unnatural, he creates a modern visual interpretation of yin and yang and the serenity that comes from recognizing, understanding and appreciating the labyrinth that is our existence.