Interview with Franco Baldazzi
Franco Baldazzi was born in Florence in 1969. Today he lives in the province of Sondrio. After finishing school, he abandoned the practice of painting for some years. From a very young age, he accompanies, in fact the passion for art in a parallel working life, which often involves significant setbacks in his creative journey. Periods of fervid production, alternating with deep moments of reflection, outline the stages of a painting that absorbs and intertwines the emotional life of the Tuscan, in a style increasingly personal, not ascribable to schools or movements.
How would you describe yourself and your artwork?
Describing myself is complicated because of the world in it, I catch every adverse situation in the world I live in. Emotions are unusual, interpretation is restless, that gestational stage before materializing. My artwork? unusual, surprising, true, also given the fact that I express diversity of painting in my expressive art style, this happens when you live in the present moment. Unpredictable in a word.
How do you go about beginning a new piece? Do you have an idea already in mind, or do you start working with materials or sketches to find the departure point?
Definitely, before starting a new job, I experience situations, personal and public and controversial moments, different emotional states, satisfaction, happiness, fulfillment. Situations given by talking to people, their personal situations, their difficulties, especially their energy level that I can perceive, their attachment to material things that seem insurmountable problems. Influenced also by these situations, my mind processes, gets "worked up," then everything calms down and unexpectedly an image, a vision, a word, sometimes even a sentence comes to mind. From here I begin to trace shapes, figures, I adjust them until all the elements are harmonious and dialogue with each other. This is the starting point.
When do you think your most prolific time of day or week is?
During the day, with light, we live the everyday, normalcy, and we are all "perfect" in the sunlight. In this normalcy I gather valuable information and it is towards evening and during the night, of any day of the week, when everything seems to be silent is the ideal time, it is the instant when the magic begins.
What is a barrier you as an artist overcame? Is there anything that enabled you to develop your work as an artist in your life?
Surely having to show oneself through works means showing all sides of the person. Showing the most intimate and secret part that lives in me. It especially brings out one's own frailties and thinking, ideas that expose themselves to the judgment of others. Overcoming this barrier has enabled me to face the courage of fear, making works with sincerity, love and truth.
Cultivating, then, the child within us, one's own Soul
Did you know what you wanted to create right from the beginning?
As I said in the previous answer, I have no idea what work I will do.
The idea comes from living in the present, this is what I can create, listening in connection with the whole.
Then, yes, some imagination, some fantasy, when everything flows freely it takes shape.
Otherwise, if I want to depict landscapes, for example, I just have to reproduce what we already know," in this case I will always put my vision that is different from what other people's eyes see.
What is the meaning or creative inspiration for your work? We’re curious what the narrative or story is to what you are producing?
It's just that when I paint I'm in another dimension, I'm a human being, and like all people, "material" life is another thing.
Many of us live what we are taught, but is it the right one for us?
We live most of our lives doing what we are told, but not what we feel we want to do. The first step would be to know ourselves in depth, bringing to light an unknown world within us, a world capable of helping us in real life, if known. With a little truth, courage, madness and a lot of unconditional love. I think this is the narrative that changes from time to time depending on the emotions one feels.
Besides your artworks, are there any other things in life that your voice as an artist may consider vital or valuable? What makes you joyful and creative, in other words?
Yes, looking back a bit I realize that I have been in constant search of, let me call them, precious ingredients that make me happy and creative at the same time.
I quote: People, time, truth.
Creating relationships with people of "value" I consider to be a valuable aspect.
Time , perhaps I would put it first, beyond how we use it flows inexorably, it is limited in our earthly life. When we realize this, it is a race to have more quality in our lives.
The truth, the search for it is a constant, a thread, a circle that at the end of this life cycle we will have to unite and within it we have to put all the elements that make us feel happy. This makes me joyful and creative, at peace.
Are there any exhibitions or places where people can see these beautiful creations in person soon? Anything on the horizon?
Online I am present with my personal website, where you can contact me for information, get more photos, a video of my works. In my home studio is open by appointment and I will be very happy to welcome you and tell you about my works, how they were born, what I experienced in that precious moment of life. In my area I organize weekend flash exhibitions. On the different socials I am present, look for my name, Franco Baldazzi and we could also introduce ourselves in this way and I invite you to follow me to stay updated on my latest works. On some professional platforms like Singulart, Saatchiart I am present.
In the coming month of October I will be present at the Art Innsbruck fair.
