Interview with Enzo Forgione
Enzo Forgione lives and works in Turin, Italy where he get a degree at Fine Art Academy. After graduation he has many experiences between applied art and design until 2006 when he starts painting full time. His first solo show is held in Turin In 2009, followed by many other solo and group exhibitions in his country and abroad.
Enzo is a figurative realistic painter who work predominantly on botanical and floral subjects which he realizes mainly in oil on canvas or paper. 'In my artworks- he states - I aim to reveal the reality rather than merely represent it-
Former member of the Society of Botanical Artists he takes part in the annual exhibitions of the Society in London, Frankfurt and Madrid. Enzo has several collaborations with Italian galleries and is currently a permanent artist at Malinpensa Gallery in Turin.
His works are are part of private collections in Italy, United Kingdom and Germany.
What initially drew you to the world of art, and how did your time at the Academy of Fine Arts in Turin shape your approach to painting?
Art runs in my family, two of my uncles were self-taught painters. I was named after one of them and as a child I was enchanted to see him draw the quick pencil sketches he made for me. I think it probably was that fascination together with an innate creativity and manual skills that years later made me decide to attend artistic study .
My approach to painting as a scenography student at the Academy was oriented towards water techniques (tempera, watercolours, vinyl colours), which were the most suitable media for the creation of sketches both for sets and costumes. Oil paint came later when I started my artistic research about orchids and I needed to render the brightness of those subject. Anyway, I think that years of practicing water techniques left a significant imprint on my following artistic practice.
In 2006, you made the significant decision to focus solely on painting. What motivated this shift, and how did it impact your artistic development?
The main reason for that decision was related to the growing dissatisfaction about what I was doing. I felt that applied art limited my expressiveness. Despite the satisfactory design aspect of my job, I was completely dependent on other people (craftsmen) for the creation of the objects I designed. Furthermore, once the objects were made my intervention on them was more of a decorative than of a pictorial nature. Meanwhile, at that time I was starting to use oil paint more extensively, discovering the incredible potential of that medium and I was completely hooked by it. I mean, the brilliance, the vibrancy and the amazing response to both natural and artificial light were absolutely incomparable . Furthermore, oil paint would have allowed me to work in large scale which was quite urgent for me. So the shift was inevitable in order to fulfill what I had in mind. All in all, looking back I must say it was worthwhile.
You have a distinct preference for botanical subjects. What is it about these subjects that captivates you, and how do you aim to represent them in your work?
Like many artists I take inspiration from what surrounds me. When I started painting most of the input came from my greenhouse where my partner grows orchid and other exotic plant. I was kind of hooked by orchids and observing them closely I began to get fascinated not only by their original shapes and awesome colours, but also by the characters they express, which I aimed to capture on the canvas in order to involve viewers in what had inspired me. The interest in botany was intertwined with the artistic one; my research on orchids highlighted not only original patterns but also zoomorphic features in some specimens, that I painted in a dedicated series. Over the years I became more and more involved and my growing plant knowledge -absorbed by 'osmosis'- increased my desire to paint them. I enlarged the size of the subjects to highlight details and better see their patterns, aiming to reveal the reality rather than merely represent it.
Your work is deeply inspired by nature and patterns. Can you elaborate on how these elements influence your creative process and the themes you explore in your art? Observing my surroundings I can't avoid noticing that patterns are everywhere around us, both in the geometry of everyday lives and above all in the perfect order of Nature. They are a continuous stimulation for my visual perception. The evolution of my research led me to insert a new element into the composition: the reflection on water, which has given my painting a curious and intriguing aspect. The reflection is a pattern formed by a series of lines and shapes, that only resemble a specular reflection deceiving the observer's eye and their visual perception. Patterns have allowed me to break out of the finished form to possibly lead into abstraction -but I'm not ready yet- , thus leaving room for future creative developments. It is as if the rational part, represented by the flower depicted in detail, and the irrational part represented by the reflection pattern coexist peacefully on the same canvas. Once again, the enlarged size of the subject helps render the painting immersive rather than contemplative. Moreover, in this way I managed to focus my artistic research on two of my main interests by combining botany and visual perception.
You employ the 'alla prima' or direct painting technique. Could you explain this technique and why you find it effective for your style of work?'
Alla prima technique' consist of obtaining all the chromatic and tonal effects while the paint is still wet.This gives the painting a freshness and an immediacy aspect which overlaps of color would not give. I'm not very fond of material painting therefore in my works you can barely perceive the brushstroke and and I rarely use layering. I must underline a couple of aspects of my technique, one concern the sketch which is fundamental as it is a map with which to tackle the painting. The other is about colour mixing which is important in order to have a loose brushstroke, the right colour for a brushstroke avoid going back to adjust it, thus losing all its freshness. Nonetheless I must confess that sometimes I mix my colours directly on the canvas, a bit risky but effective.
Also, with this technique I manage to finish even just a part of the painting to see if it works and whether it corresponds with what I had in mind before going on.
Since your first solo exhibition in 2009, how do you feel your art has evolved, and which exhibitions have been particularly pivotal in your career?
Well, to answer this question I must refer on what people who know my work since the beginning say. At that time my style was often seen as Hyperrealist, probably due to the almost photographic outcome of my paintings. Nothing wrong with hyperrealism, only I found it too cold and I rather preferred my works to be warmer. Therefore I've always strived to keep my painting realistic rather than hyperrealistic and I think I succeeded in this effort . According to people 's feedback, my style has improved a lot both in technique and in contents. My paintings nowadays are warmer than in the past and the contents are definitely more engaging and involving. One of the factors that made this happen was the enlarged size of my works that contribute to render my paintings immersive rather than contemplative. I think that also the inclusion of the reflection on water in the composition gave a significant change to the style of my works.
There are basically three significant exhibitions that I consider to be milestones in my career and definitely contributed to increase my visibility as an artist.
Firstly 'Fuuran' a solo show of 2013 at Wikiarte Gallery in Bologna.
Secondly, 'Shape Pattern and Structure' the SBA annual exhibition of 2016 held in Westminster Hall in London. Last but not least 'A Fior d'Acqua' a solo show at Miit Museum in Turin in 2019.
Your collaborations with galleries like Wikiarte and the MIIT Museum, and memberships in societies like the SBA, have been significant. How have these associations influenced your career and visibility as an artist?
'Fuuran'', a solo show from 2013 dedicated to orchids , marked the beginning of a fruitful collaboration with Wikiarte gallery, that together with Mondadori publisher led to an artistic promotion project which saw the creation of a series of catalogs presented in traveling exhibitions in prestigious Italian exhibition venues.
In 'Shape Pattern and Structure',an SBA exhibition of 2016, I showed for the first time some works from 'Narcissus ' my latest series in which the reflection on water was added to the main subject. I was awarded the Great Art Award for the Body of work in recognition of the innovative work in the field of Botanical Painting. This represented a huge gratification and pushed me to continue my artistic research about patterns and also gave way to new collaborations such as the one with Paint & Draw.
The solo show 'A Fior d'Acqua', held at Miit Museum in 2019 ,was the exhibition where I presented my artistic path with more than 50 works on display, but with a big emphasis on the latest and ongoing series 'Narcissus'.
Each of these exhibitions has contributed to increasing the visibility of my works and my artistic research.
Your works are part of private collections across Italy, the UK, and Germany. How does it feel to have your art appreciated internationally, and do you see differences in reception across these cultures?
I feel flattered and motivated to continue with my artistic research and also with some experimentations. The reception in the UK and in Germany was similar, in both countries the botanical art is taken in good consideration and appreciated. All in all we are talking about a niche genre which, however, finds prestigious adequate spaces in some countries, while in Italy it finds more difficulties and I think the reason is really a cultural matter. Anyway, with my latest series 'Narcissus' I managed to overcome this limit and find my space in mainstream exhibitions in my country.
In 2017, you collaborated with 'Paint & Draw' magazine for workshops and tutorials. What do you find most rewarding about teaching and sharing your expertise?
In truth my collaboration with Paint & Draw' didn't last long and I couldn't give a feedback on that experience other than the gratification of having my name in the magazine and on getting money from it. Let's say was a trigger episode. Before then I had never considered teaching. as I felt like it was a waste of time and perhaps I was jealous of revealing my knowledge. But I decided to get involved and shortly after the end of the collaboration with the magazine I received requests for giving private painting lessons in Turin. That way I discovered that direct contact with students was very satisfying for me and I was also able to test my real teaching skills.
I still continue to teach painting and life drawing to a limited number of students otherwise teaching would take too much time away from painting.
Your recent partnership with Tintoretto' Art Brushes has led to a signature botanical painting kit. How did this collaboration come about, and what does it mean to you to have a product associated with your name and art?
Well, I think that someone from Tintoretto's graphic department have seen my work on the web, they found it interesting and contacted me to propose a partnership. I was asked to try their brushes and identify the ones that best suit my techniques. I must say that I was very well impressed by their products and it was easy to select a couple of synthetic brushes for oil and a couple for watercolour. Thus the Signature kit for botanical painting was born. I am obviously flattered for the signature kit , but also grateful for the visibility. The partnership means being included in the list of international artists on Tintoretto website, along with some photos of my works, a biography and a statement.
