Today, we spoke to artist "Sizzle" who is currently very active at FROM ARTIST.
Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule for this interview!
You say that you were influenced by surrealism and cubism from an early age. Did you grow up in an environment where art was close to you?
When I was growing up, I didn't live in an environment where art was particularly close to me, but I was exposed to small illustrations in art textbooks at school and small works of art that I saw around town, which my classmates and adults around me seemed to ignore. I was strongly attracted to all things related to art.
Even back then, I was aware that I was extremely sensitive compared to those around me, and I remember that it was a little difficult to live my life as I was influenced by everything that touched my five senses, such as colors, shapes, sounds, and scents.
I liked many things, including music, literature, and art, but since I was always good at drawing, I naturally fell in love with art.
What is the most impressive piece of art out of all of them, and why?
I feel very different now, but Picasso's ``Guernica'' and ``The Weeping Woman'' that I saw in an art textbook left a strong impression on me.
At the time, I had no idea what was being depicted or why I was drawn to it, and I was just curious about it, but as I became an adult, I learned of the existence of Surrealism and Cubism, and I was fascinated by their ideas and methods of expression. I realized that it was my preference.
Picasso's Guernica and the Weeping Woman are certainly deep, beautiful, and powerful works. I can see why it steals Sizzle's heart.
Are there any Surrealist or Cubist artists who particularly influenced you? What part influenced you?
I like surrealism and cubism as works of art, but when it comes to artists who have influenced me, I think it's the expressionist and symbolist painters of the surrounding eras.
In particular, when I saw Francis Bacon's work when I was around 20 years old, it had the biggest impact on me in 20 years. ``It's such a meaningless painting, but for some reason it's both beautiful and terrifying. I wonder what this painting really is. What is it depicting?'' I felt a strange feeling that I had never felt before. I remember.
At the time, I wasn't able to put into words the impact it had on me, but now I understand it a little better, and I want to express the complex emotions I felt at that time in my own work. became.
My current style of painting is sometimes said to be similar to Kandinsky or Klee, but I think it's just that I'm influenced by the style of expressionism. .
Please tell us about your current work style and how you arrived at it. You also do live painting, how did you get started?
Currently, I am creating compositional works using acrylic paint and a painting knife. By layering lines and surfaces, I repeatedly construct and disintegrate order.
In my case, it wasn't that I had drawn a lot to get to that point, but I had spent many years thinking about my favorite colors, shapes, compositions, temperatures, impressions, etc., asking myself, ``Why do I like it?'' and ``How do I like it?'' I feel like I just kept thinking about it. As I refined my sense of what I liked, my current style naturally developed.
From now on, I would like to start drawing a lot.
The reason I started live painting actually had nothing to do with painting...I wanted to make some big mistakes in my life, and I used painting as a means to do so. Now that I think about it, I think this was also an experiment to experience a new sensation.
Up until then, I had only been drawing as a hobby and had not been particularly active in painting, and because of my severe anxiety, it was difficult for me to stand in front of people, so I started drawing in an environment where a large number of unspecified people were paying attention to me. It was something I could never have imagined, but I decided to take on the challenge of creating a gigantic 8m wide mural at the 2020 Design Festa.
As a result, I was able to perform better than I expected with many people stopping to watch, so it was more of a success experience, but either way, I'm glad I did it. It gave me the courage to jump into an unfamiliar environment without hesitation, and it also gave me the opportunity to start painting in earnest.
What a wonderful experience! I'm sure there were various struggles to get to that point, but I think Sizzle's experience will give people who read this article the courage to take on the challenge.
Sizzle seems to be aiming for "unfinished completion" in his work, so please let us know if there are any thoughts or things you are particularly conscious of.
I am interested in finding ``completion'' in things that are not fully completed.
For example, the beauty of a bud before it blooms or the exposed steel bars of a building under construction. The original purpose is what happens afterward, but I believe that depending on the viewer's perspective, there may be value in the process as well.
When creating a picture, I tend to focus on completing it by drawing it well and correctly, but in my case, this results in a uninteresting picture, so I am careful not to forget the essence of what I want to express. doing.
However, I think the difficulty with ``unfinished completion'' is that if it is not organized as a work, it will simply be seen as ``immature'' or ``something half-finished.'' I'm still searching.
Please let me know if there are any techniques that Sizzle is good at.
I am good at acrylic paintings done with a painting knife or charcoal drawings. Although I have some control over it, it's nice to have a little unexpected element thrown in every once in a while.
I don't find it very interesting to do things like fluid art and dripping art that are highly accidental, and on the other hand, things that require high controllability are technically lacking, so it's something in between that I feel the most comfortable with. I'm looking for an easy way to express it.
Where do you get your inspiration for your work? What influences your live painting in particular?
I think that collecting and researching things that appeal to me and things that interest me on a daily basis leads to inspiration.
For example, I like stairs and reinforcing bars, but when I look at the common characteristics of these things, I have a few things that I like, such as ``coldness,'' ``hardness,'' ``beautiful straight lines,'' and ``regularity.'' I think it can be broken down into elements. Is "warmth" not enough for these elements? Why? How regular is it? Is it okay to have chaotic rules? What is the acceptable range? When I'm thinking about something like this, I suddenly get a flash of inspiration, and I often use that momentum to create something.
I think it's difficult to convey to others the feelings I feel if I draw the stairs and the reinforcing bars as I see them, so I need to disassemble what I like.
I think that live painting is strongly influenced by the surrounding environment.
If you think the lighting is too dark, try using a lot of bright paint, or if it's a busy place, try creating a lively screen composition, or conversely, make it stand out by creating a calm screen composition.
I think one of the characteristics of live painting is that it can be seen as a single work, including the space and the artist, rather than just a single painting, so I carefully observe the surrounding environment.
Are there any expressions or themes you would like to try in the future? If there are any places or environments you would like to try live painting, please let me know.
I'd like to try creating works that step outside the realm of painting little by little. In addition to canvases, I also try drawing on objects and creating three-dimensional works. I'd like to try different approaches.
If I have the chance to live paint, I would like to try doing public art in public spaces. Public art is an area that I don't fully understand, so I wonder if I'll discover something new if I actually try it. I'm interested.
Do you have any interests or hobbies other than art?
I like to experience complex emotions that are difficult to put into words, so I often do strange experiments.
Lately, I've been thinking about eating flowers and stepping on cake, but I'm not sure what to do because I'm worried about it ethically. I also like to dare to experience things that I dislike or have no interest in.
I also like philosophy, psychology, and psychoanalysis and study them often.
Finally, please tell us your motto.
Learning from the past and new
Shuhaari
I always want to challenge the unknown while valuing the basics.
Thank you for taking the time to answer the interview.
FROM ARTIST is looking forward to seeing Sizzle's works in the future.
Title of work: Mirror image
Detail page URL: https://from-artist.com/products/kyouzou
List of works: https://from-artist.com/collections/Sizzle