Domenico Pasqua

Antwerp, Belgium, Stilleven, oil, 48 x 62 cm (19 x 24")

My Inspiration

My paintings are influenced by my training as an architect and photographer. The inspirational themes can come from a journey, from a sociopolitical idea or, as in recent times, from a profound admiration for certain Renaissance and Baroque artists, especially in Belgium and Italy. The initial idea is elaborated as a true architectural project focusing on the relationships between colors, shapes and materials that are able to express it. The choice of language—abstract, figurative or even experimental—varies in relation to the project idea and is chosen to fully represent the proposed intent.

My Design Strategy

Stilleven was born from a casual event: the purchase and restoration of an “empire” frame from the early 19th century. I thought the painting I wanted to make for that frame should be a tribute to the Flemish and Dutch Baroque still life paintings of the 17th century. I also wanted to ironically interpret the Baroque style by digitally creating an opulent composition whose elements were not only numerous but also of various kinds: flowers, fruit, a nautilus shell, glasses, carpets, damasks and even symbolically an empty frame. The composition had to be not only exaggerated but also a little unstable. I then created the oil painting using the traditional glaze technique using a very realistic language to highlight the content I wanted to propose.

My Working Process

I created my computer composition by putting together the individual elements as if I had placed them on a real table. When the union of the single parts seemed to be quite balanced I started working on the lights and colors to get an idea of how and how much every single element had to be conformed, highlighted or hidden. The final image became the model to be painted on the canvas. I realized the subject with oil paint using glazes technique to render in the painting the studies I had done on the lights and colors in the best way possible.