New Works by Pino
gallery
We have just placed new works by
celebrated Italian artist, Pino in our
website at
http://www.artshopnc.com/Pino/Pino.html
The Art Shop
Greensboro, North Carolina
Paul Mesken
>x-no-archive: yes
>I wish Pino would now get a new set of models.
>Perhaps some with more interesting faces, and some
>who are not in their physical prime?
>What is Pino saying with his skinny-pretty 20year olds?
What struck me was that none of the subjects shows any emotion. All of
them have their lips together, not one eye brow or mouth corner is
raised or lowered, etc. They either look down or straight at the
onlooker with a flat expression (which is not very pleasant ofcourse).
All of the works are therefor emotionally flat. It looks as if the
paintings are from memories of a time long ago with people who are
probably now dead, about chances missed, etc. in short : melancholy.
Most of the paintings are from a quite low point of view (Pino paints
from the viewpoint of a young boy), this also reinforces the idea of
the past (childhood). The people in his paintings don't seem to be
anyone Pino knows because none of them shows any characteristic pose,
expression, etc. They're strangers. So, we have the memories of a boy
of non responsive strangers, that's probably the "isolation" part the
story on the site tells about. It's very melancholic.
The emotional flatness of his subjects contradicts enormously with the
vibrant use of colours and the sunshine. Imagine how a smiling person
would look like from Pino, the whole painting would spring to life.
This contradiction between the weather and the emotional flatness also
reinforces the melancholy : even though there's great weather and a
lot of energy shown by the use of color, the people are still not
depicted happy, this means the painter must be sad about his
(imagined) childhood.
Nikolaus Maack
> What struck me was that none of the subjects shows any emotion. All of
> them have their lips together, not one eye brow or mouth corner is
> raised or lowered, etc. They either look down or straight at the
> onlooker with a flat expression (which is not very pleasant ofcourse).
> All of the works are therefor emotionally flat. It looks as if the
> paintings are from memories of a time long ago with people who are
> probably now dead, about chances missed, etc. in short : melancholy.
> Most of the paintings are from a quite low point of view (Pino paints
> from the viewpoint of a young boy), this also reinforces the idea of
> the past (childhood). The people in his paintings don't seem to be
> anyone Pino knows because none of them shows any characteristic pose,
> expression, etc. They're strangers. So, we have the memories of a boy
> of non responsive strangers, that's probably the "isolation" part the
> story on the site tells about. It's very melancholic.
>
> The emotional flatness of his subjects contradicts enormously with the
> vibrant use of colours and the sunshine. Imagine how a smiling person
> would look like from Pino, the whole painting would spring to life.
> This contradiction between the weather and the emotional flatness also
> reinforces the melancholy : even though there's great weather and a
> lot of energy shown by the use of color, the people are still not
> depicted happy, this means the painter must be sad about his
> (imagined) childhood.
I really like the above description of his works, but I'm not sure if
you mean your comments to be negative or positive. I think your
perspective is dead on, but that's why the paintings are interesting.
A "surface" read of the paintings seems so happy -- look at those
vibrant colours! But a deeper read shows you that these people aren't
that happy. In fact, they seem wistful and nostalgic and sad.
That complexity is what makes the paintings so interesting. We're at a
wild, raucous party, and in the middle of it is this beautiful,
depressed woman -- who we're all alone with her and her sorrow, in an
intimate moment.
Happiness is always so bland. But misery, nostalgia, despair -- there
are mysteries in these emotions. What made these feelings come about in
these people? There is a kind of intrigue that draws us in. If drama
is all about conflict, then Pino manages to take a person, sitting on a
bed, by herself, and put CONFLICT into the representation of her form.
He gives the simple scene a kind of DRAMA.
Dr. Slick
> Paul Mesken wrote:
> > What struck me was that none of the subjects shows any emotion. All of
> > them have their lips together, not one eye brow or mouth corner is
> > raised or lowered, etc. They either look down or straight at the
> > onlooker with a flat expression (which is not very pleasant ofcourse).
> > All of the works are therefor emotionally flat.
>
> vibrant colours! But a deeper read shows you that these people aren't
> that happy. In fact, they seem wistful and nostalgic and sad.
>
> That complexity is what makes the paintings so interesting. We're at a
> wild, raucous party, and in the middle of it is this beautiful,
> depressed woman -- who we're all alone with her and her sorrow, in an
> intimate moment.
Great stuff. Beautiful women in a somewhat depressed mood. Like
money isn't everything if you've got it, so it is with being gorgeous.
The beautiful people in the world can sometimes be the most
insecure and self-conscious ehh?
Slick
Paul Mesken
<nikm...@sympatico.ca> wrote:
>Paul Mesken wrote:
<snip>
>I really like the above description of his works, but I'm not sure if
>you mean your comments to be negative or positive. I think your
>perspective is dead on, but that's why the paintings are interesting.
Neither positive or negative. Thur asked for an (objective) analysis
"from someone more qualified" but I snipped that from his post in my
reply in order to uphold my false appearance of modesty :-)
My personal take on this however is that I admire Pino's skill but I
wouldn't buy it because it doesn't affect me at all. His paintings
shut me out and this is probably good because his works are about
isolation but I like to be taken in by a painting, not to be shut out.
It's not that I don't like melancholy but I like to see it rendered
with emotions, not unresponsive facial expressions. The melancholy has
to come from the lighting and setting in that case, the usual stuff :
weathered, empty houses, rusting cars and coca cola signs, sunset, a
single, sulking girl roller skating along the beach road near the
abandoned amusement park, staring at the horizon, her hairs flying in
the wind, a tight shirt :-)
>A "surface" read of the paintings seems so happy -- look at those
>vibrant colours! But a deeper read shows you that these people aren't
>that happy. In fact, they seem wistful and nostalgic and sad.
>
>That complexity is what makes the paintings so interesting. We're at a
>wild, raucous party, and in the middle of it is this beautiful,
>depressed woman -- who we're all alone with her and her sorrow, in an
>intimate moment.
>
>Happiness is always so bland.
Well, it can make a work uplifting for the onlooker. It's also
relatively hard to pull off since a painting is more or less a static
thing, freezes a single moment, but happiness is a very dynamic thing.
The famous Gil Elvgren (from the pin ups) could do it quite well, put
a lot of positive energy in his stuff.
>But misery, nostalgia, despair -- there
>are mysteries in these emotions. What made these feelings come about in
>these people? There is a kind of intrigue that draws us in. If drama
>is all about conflict, then Pino manages to take a person, sitting on a
>bed, by herself, and put CONFLICT into the representation of her form.
>He gives the simple scene a kind of DRAMA.
The good thing is that it teaches us an interesting lesson : how one
can use conflict this way to strengthen the idea. The opposite could
work as well. Putting happy people in a sad environment (absence of
color, no sunshine, etc.). Perhaps a painting of a yellowed, black and
white picture of a happy couple (with a baby for maximum effect)
floating in the gutter of a rainy, black cobbled street. The fading
memory of happier times (yuk, how run-of-the-mill sentimental! ;-)
Hans Supp
>A "surface" read of the paintings seems so happy -- look at those
>vibrant colours! But a deeper read shows you that these people aren't
>that happy. In fact, they seem wistful and nostalgic and sad.
It's a universal problem for artists who paint
from the live model instead of from photos,
as I think this artist probably does. The model
is sitting there trying to hold a pose for long
periods - inanimate - thinking who knows what kind
of thoughts - probably bored to tears. It's why, to
me, painting from a photo is potentially a
'better way' if one is interested in catching
the emotion of a fleeting moment.
I think that an artist who does quick sketches
has the best chance of capturing the sitter's
personality. For example: caricaturists often
have a better result than a pastel or charcoal
artist who works quickly. And an artist who
can chat the sitter up while capturing a likeness
has a much better chance of putting life into
the likeness than one who has the model sitting
there practically comatose.
Hans Supp
Here is something that I learned by actual
experience. Not my own, but from an artist
friend who did a 'quick sketch' in pastels
of my mom one time. This artist was renowned
for his ability to capture a good likeness
of the sitter. In this instance, my mom's
lifelong best friend Grace had just died, and as
she was sitting for her 30 minute pastel portrait,
that's who she was thinking about. And
when the artist was done, and showed my mom
'her' likeness, guess whose likeness it
really was! And it wasn't just my mom's
opinion. When shown to my sisters they each
in turn had the same reaction - "Mom, that's
Grace - NOT you!" True story.
When the artist agreed to try again to
capture my mom, he failed again to capture
my her even though the second time it looked
nothing like her dead friend.
Flying_Naked_People
<3ea1...@news.zianet.com>...
: In article <3ea1...@news.zianet.com>, ha...@dontemailme.com says...
I can add that while drawing a male model in figure drawing class, I saw about
10 - 15 different emotions form on this guys's face within an hour. It was
almost pointless to draw him!!
"Happy face <scrub scrub scrub > no... sad face <scrub scrub scrub > no...
worried face <scrub scrub scrub > What the hell is this guy thinking about???"
Dr. Slick
>
> It's a universal problem for artists who paint
> from the live model instead of from photos,
> as I think this artist probably does. The model
> is sitting there trying to hold a pose for long
> periods - inanimate - thinking who knows what kind
> of thoughts - probably bored to tears. It's why, to
> me, painting from a photo is potentially a
> 'better way' if one is interested in catching
> the emotion of a fleeting moment.
>
And in many respects, just simply easier.
> I think that an artist who does quick sketches
> has the best chance of capturing the sitter's
> personality. For example: caricaturists often
> have a better result than a pastel or charcoal
> artist who works quickly. And an artist who
> can chat the sitter up while capturing a likeness
> has a much better chance of putting life into
> the likeness than one who has the model sitting
> there practically comatose.
Portrait artists who work from live models are very talented
people if they can capture the essence of someone, even as they move
around a bit. Some people have a somewhat photographic memory, in
which they can remember a certain smile or gesture or action, and
recreate it (Leonardo's pre-photography horses, that have sketchy
"action" lines that really suggest motion well).
Slick
Paul Mesken
wrote:
>In article <3EA1590F...@sympatico.ca>, nikm...@sympatico.ca says...
>
>
>>A "surface" read of the paintings seems so happy -- look at those
>>vibrant colours! But a deeper read shows you that these people aren't
>>that happy. In fact, they seem wistful and nostalgic and sad.
>
>It's a universal problem for artists who paint
>from the live model instead of from photos,
>as I think this artist probably does. The model
>is sitting there trying to hold a pose for long
>periods - inanimate - thinking who knows what kind
>of thoughts - probably bored to tears.
"Bored to tears", that would give an interesting expression. Gimme
agony! ;-)
>It's why, to
>me, painting from a photo is potentially a
>'better way' if one is interested in catching
>the emotion of a fleeting moment.
The dvd player is another good source. It offers a perfect frozen
image of a better quality than video or television.
Humbert_Campbell
PINO PINO PINO!
(I dont know why it struck me to open with that but it just felt
good.)
PINO PINO PINO!
Try its great.
Ok so these paintings are somewhat problematic. I like what has been
said here already regarding them. That low angle perspective probalby
comes from using a photograph or PINO PINO PINO is sitting down in a
low chair to work.
What bothers me here is that the lighing doesnt strike me as
believable. In some of the interiors is pretty convincing but there is
one piece of two people walking on the beach where it looks like the
people have been painted in the studio with the background coming from
a different setting. It forces the people to stand out unpleasently,
they are seperated from their environment and ultimately looks like
someone posed infront of a painted backdrop that folds down on a
roller like family photographers at Wall-Mart.
Indeed the surface of these works is light, airy, even whispy, but the
overall lightness leaves them feeling flattened out. There is no major
value shift which ultimately leaves me finding the space to be
somewhat shallow in most of the works. As in the abobementioned work,
I dont feel the sky and tree are really so far off, rather that they
are only a foot or two behind the women which supports my feeling of a
painted backdrop used for a photo.
Not to say these works are totally unpleasent. They are in fact quite
"pretty pieces" but ultimately they dont engage me. They exist as
pretty decoration but ultimately lack depth.
HC
Paul Mesken
(Humbert_Campbell) wrote:
>Hello all,
>
>PINO PINO PINO!
>
>(I dont know why it struck me to open with that but it just felt
>good.)
>
>PINO PINO PINO!
>
>Try its great.
>
>Ok so these paintings are somewhat problematic. I like what has been
>said here already regarding them. That low angle perspective probalby
>comes from using a photograph or PINO PINO PINO is sitting down in a
>low chair to work.
>
>What bothers me here is that the lighing doesnt strike me as
>believable. In some of the interiors is pretty convincing but there is
>one piece of two people walking on the beach where it looks like the
>people have been painted in the studio with the background coming from
>a different setting. It forces the people to stand out unpleasently,
>they are seperated from their environment and ultimately looks like
>someone posed infront of a painted backdrop that folds down on a
>roller like family photographers at Wall-Mart.
Excellent call, outdoors on a sunny day one expects far more shadow
work. I've gone through the paintings again and the painter hardly
makes use of cast shadows to establish a relationship between the
people and their environment. I believe this to be on purpose to make
the people look more dream like (ethereal even).
>Indeed the surface of these works is light, airy, even whispy, but the
>overall lightness leaves them feeling flattened out. There is no major
>value shift which ultimately leaves me finding the space to be
>somewhat shallow in most of the works. As in the abobementioned work,
>I dont feel the sky and tree are really so far off, rather that they
>are only a foot or two behind the women which supports my feeling of a
>painted backdrop used for a photo.
Yes, I assume PINO PINO PINO sacrifices depth out of shading (I always
liked the term "adding definition" when a painter starts to add blacks
and whites) and depth out of "graying out" stuff in the distance (the
atmospheric perspective) in favour of heavy use of colors (the
painting "In the late evening" does have it though, very interesting
composition as well).