Chiara Del Vecchio (Milan, 1985). Artist for over 10 years, he lives and works between Milan and New York, where he founded his own gallery. A multifaceted artist, his works vary considerably in the motif, but they share the continuous research and exploration on the standardization of the human being. The airbrush is his artistic tool, the out of focus line is the key to arousing emotions in a consumer society dominated by the apathy of details.
Where and when your passion for art is born?
“I was born with a pencil in my hand” my grandfather said. Daughter and granddaughter of bankers, my path was unusual, in fact everyone in the family hoped for a stable job, but since I was a child I had clear ideas: I wanted to be an artist and I would become one. I have been painting for as long as I can remember, I remember that my favorite shop as a child was the paint shop under the house where I lost myself for hours among the colors and the canvases, then I returned home and every occasion was a good excuse to paint.
Where and when your passion for art is born?
“I was born with a pencil in my hand” my grandfather said. Daughter and granddaughter of bankers, my path was unusual, in fact everyone in the family hoped for a stable job, but since I was a child I had clear ideas: I wanted to be an artist and I would become one. I have been painting for as long as I can remember, I remember that my favorite shop as a child was the paint shop under the house where I lost myself for hours among the colors and the canvases, then I returned home and every occasion was a good excuse to paint.
The little gallery owner in me was able to hang her paintings even among school desks from a very young age.
There is a person or an artist who has been instrumental in your career?
There is no artistic current that has fascinated me more than another, I was born as a self-taught person, I am curious, I get lost in the works, I am constantly looking for inspiration. I had various phases: I started with graphite, oil, I varied a lot, then my taste and my need to express myself met what today is my art instrument, the airbrush. From a distance my works almost look like photographs, from close up you can understand and see what my art is. The airbrush makes the line out of focus and forces the viewer to make a reaction that I like to define as active. The observer recognizes the subject of the work, but the details are missing, this activates the memory game. Where the vision does not arrive, the imagination arrives, the observer creates a journey of his memory in each of my works. Throughout my career, I have never needed to express pain and frustration in my works, I have always looked for an art form in which to feel fully satisfied. In adolescence, an event marked me, the loss of a person very close to me, art saved me because I was able to find peace in my works. My collections are not angry, they express dreams, memories and at the same time they are critical readings on the society in which I live.o.
In recent years your paintings have traveled the world and have been purchased by many international stars: there was a meeting or a painting that they commissioned you that moved you more than others?
I was lucky enough to meet many important personalities, perhaps the most prestigious occasion was that in which a work for Pope Benedict XVI was commissioned to me. It was a great honor for me, I gave it to him in person during an official ceremony and it is still in the Vatican today. Completely antithetical, Steve Tyler, the famous singer of Aerosmith, bought one of my works in Los Angeles and it was really a great emotion, also because I have always been a fan of his. During my career, especially in the early days, I always kept in mind the phrase of one of his songs that says: If you don't have a dream, there is no way to make one come true ... Well ... what about ... I've always had the dream of doing this job and I've worked hard to get it. The third meeting was Antonio Banderas, he bought one of my works, much to the envy of my friends (laughs). Right now I'm working on a very important project in memory of a basketball player who tragically passed away.o.
You are an artist with a strong sense of fashion, as you would recommend wearing the T-EARTH jacket by Claudio Tonello?
The T-EARTH blazer is really versatile, it is perfect to complete many outfits, from the most casual like boyfriend jeans, white tshirt and sneakers, or super glamorous with a black sheath dress and a nude decollété. Among other things, the color makes it really easy to combine with light and dark outfits.
T-EARTH is a sustainable blazer, for Tonello sustainability is an important value. How do you interpret your life in the name of green stylele?
As an artist I try to recover and recycle as much as possible every material I use for the production of my works.I happen to repaint canvases already used previously, I keep dry brushes to create creative textures, reuse the cans of colors as containers and use materials less polluting raw materials. As a woman, I try to make choices, even on a daily basis, that respect the environment, consuming in a conscious way. In fashion this translates into the choice of quality garments, ergo more durable and natural materials, or better recycled like the T-Earth blazer..
There is a person or an artist who has been instrumental in your career?
There is no artistic current that has fascinated me more than another, I was born as a self-taught person, I am curious, I get lost in the works, I am constantly looking for inspiration. I had various phases: I started with graphite, oil, I varied a lot, then my taste and my need to express myself met what today is my art instrument, the airbrush. From a distance my works almost look like photographs, from close up you can understand and see what my art is. The airbrush makes the line out of focus and forces the viewer to make a reaction that I like to define as active. The observer recognizes the subject of the work, but the details are missing, this activates the memory game. Where the vision does not arrive, the imagination arrives, the observer creates a journey of his memory in each of my works. Throughout my career, I have never needed to express pain and frustration in my works, I have always looked for an art form in which to feel fully satisfied. In adolescence, an event marked me, the loss of a person very close to me, art saved me because I was able to find peace in my works. My collections are not angry, they express dreams, memories and at the same time they are critical readings on the society in which I live.o.
In recent years your paintings have traveled the world and have been purchased by many international stars: there was a meeting or a painting that they commissioned you that moved you more than others?
I was lucky enough to meet many important personalities, perhaps the most prestigious occasion was that in which a work for Pope Benedict XVI was commissioned to me. It was a great honor for me, I gave it to him in person during an official ceremony and it is still in the Vatican today. Completely antithetical, Steve Tyler, the famous singer of Aerosmith, bought one of my works in Los Angeles and it was really a great emotion, also because I have always been a fan of his. During my career, especially in the early days, I always kept in mind the phrase of one of his songs that says: If you don't have a dream, there is no way to make one come true ... Well ... what about ... I've always had the dream of doing this job and I've worked hard to get it. The third meeting was Antonio Banderas, he bought one of my works, much to the envy of my friends (laughs). Right now I'm working on a very important project in memory of a basketball player who tragically passed away.o.
You are an artist with a strong sense of fashion, as you would recommend wearing the T-EARTH jacket by Claudio Tonello?
The T-EARTH blazer is really versatile, it is perfect to complete many outfits, from the most casual like boyfriend jeans, white tshirt and sneakers, or super glamorous with a black sheath dress and a nude decollété. Among other things, the color makes it really easy to combine with light and dark outfits.
T-EARTH is a sustainable blazer, for Tonello sustainability is an important value. How do you interpret your life in the name of green stylele?
As an artist I try to recover and recycle as much as possible every material I use for the production of my works.I happen to repaint canvases already used previously, I keep dry brushes to create creative textures, reuse the cans of colors as containers and use materials less polluting raw materials. As a woman, I try to make choices, even on a daily basis, that respect the environment, consuming in a conscious way. In fashion this translates into the choice of quality garments, ergo more durable and natural materials, or better recycled like the T-Earth blazer..