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Leah Oates: What was your progression as an artist? Did you always know you wanted to be a painter? Please talk about how you developed to where you are now. Carlo Maria Mariani: I knew I wanted to be an artist when I was six years old. I started to draw and then began painting before adolescence. I had an early and absolute faith in art with an innate ability to understand and believe in something different than what people, in general, understand and believe. I have a tendency to go against the grain. |
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Magical Landscapes – Leah Oates interviews painter Carlo Maria Mariani
Leah Oates: What was your progression as an artist? Did you always know you wanted to be a painter? Please talk about how you developed to where you are now.
Carlo Maria Mariani: I knew I wanted to be an artist when I was six years old. I started to draw and then began painting before adolescence. I had an early and absolute faith in art with an innate ability to understand and believe in something different than what people, in general, understand and believe. I have a tendency to go against the grain.
In my early years, I accepted commissions to create and paint frescos and mosaics in various churches. I had a curiosity to learn different techniques and to work in big dimensions, and it was a way to support myself. This was an extraordinary experience. I felt close to artists of history.
LO: You are Italian and began making and showing your work in Europe. How do you think that the New York art community differs from the Italian or European art communities? What are the pros and cons of both, in your mind?
CMM: I showed at Documenta and the Venice Biennale, in Europe and I showed also in Japan and then in New York. At that time there was an interest in painting, especially painting from abroad. Today, there are many different mediums of art, and a great deal of confusion.
I think that, in today’s society, one needs great courage to maintain coherent and solid ideals because of the corrosive aspects and distortions of today’s commercialized art world, which by now is a global phenomenon.
LO: You are a very successful painter who has shown all over the world and whose work is in major collections. How has your success changed your life, work and inner life as an artist? Has it been a positive experience and, if so, why or why not?
CMM: Everything that I have undertaken over the years reflects my vision of the inner life of the artist, of the role of the artist, of the role of art, of the artist in contemporary culture and of my way of seeing beyond, into a fantastic universe. Success has not changed my life much, except that I live in New York, rather than in Rome. The stimulation of living in New York has enriched my imagination and, of course, my work.
LO: Any advice you can give artists about how to handle success in art? You have handled it in a very gracious manner and are still very prolific in your work habits. You are in your studio almost every day working. Please elaborate on this.
CMM: My answer is the same as above. An artist must have a personal vision, work and create. I work every day most days of the week. I am interested mainly in my work. I do not allow myself to be distracted much by what is going on in the art world.
LO: Do you think that one needs to love one’s work and that this is the most important thing, or is it to have ambition for your work? Perhaps both? What are your thoughts on this?
CMM: Shostakovitch said: "If everyone likes a work of art, it means it’s a total failure. On the other hand, if everyone criticizes your work, it means that there might be something good there." True success lies in stimulating discussion. And of course it’s important to have ambition for your work. That is the creative ego.
LO: Your work is inspired by Italian and Greek classical art, but with a completely contemporary twist. Please speak about the conceptual content of your paintings, drawings and prints.
CMM: The historical context in which I present my art, my vision of the role of art, is the persistence of cultural and historical memory in this time of spiritual decline, and also a fascination with the incongruity between classical ideals and this time in which we live.
LO: What do you think the function of art is in society? In the art world? What is the function of the artist as well? How do you see your art fitting into all of this?
CMM: I decided at the start that I did not want my art to reflect society, which is what most art does today. I am positively against the ugly and the vulgar. I look at my work as an alternative to the mass media, and all that it reflects upon society.
LO: What advice would you give to artists who are new to the New York art scene?
CMM: Three pieces of advice: In order to truly be of the times, an artist must go against the tendencies of that time, have a ready defense against mass thinking and never be satisfied with the results.
LO: Please speak about upcoming projects. This is your official brag space.
CMM: At the moment I am preparing for a show in Italy and talking about projects in both the US and Italy. I have never looked for easy praise. Neither have I let myself be perturbed by empty words, prejudice or just commercial speculation. While every artist wants commercial success, the overemphasis on the commercial has ruined the art world in my opinion. My existence remains bound to the abstract beauty of creating.
