Vito Parteli brings a bold abstract experience to the viewer in A Sunny Valley. The painting is a combination of curves bold verticals leading the eye from the top to the bottom and back again. Earth tones of blue, green, brown, and yellow lay together evoking the senses to go on a visual journey, while the bold black lines force the viewer to stop and take note of the composition. Bold and stunning, A Sunny Valley captures emotional and textured layers in each brushstroke.
When viewing A Sunny Valley, one can see the South American influences of Vito Parteli. Born in Uruguay with an Italian family background, Vito’s work showcases the culture. Additionally, the geometrics within his designs may be influenced by his electrical engineer education and metaphysics. Add to this the texture and color selection and you get a piece of abstract artwork which yields new responses every time it is viewed. Yet, to get a better understanding of his work, we have asked the artist to expound upon his piece.
Abstract art gives the viewer the ability to experience the artwork from their own emotion and reality boundaries. In A Sunny Valley is there any emotional response which you wish the viewer to experience? If so, why?
I always try to make the viewer confused, so that they take a moment to try to understand what they are looking at. To feel is to see, and to see is to know that the meaning is found by just letting go, of that which you think you’re supposed to see, and simply allowing the art to be!
Unlike some of your other work, A Sunny Valley captures the colors in a bold black outline. Please explain the use of the dark blacks used in the painting and what influenced you to capture the colors the way you did?
Each line, each curve, each millimetre of the shapes have their own life. But they also play together in a dance of tones and brush strokes. The dark tones create a contrast that guides the viewer into the depths of the painting, just like the valley that it represents.
What outside influences, including other artists or pieces of art, have influenced your style of painting, particularly in this painting as well as in other recent artwork?
Inspiration is something that I cannot refuse. I am inspired all of the time, from one moment to the next. I feel inspired by everyday objects, scenery and situations. Inspiration is always there, you just have to look. Like a photographer, looking for a perfect frame.
Of course there are many great artists that also make a mark in my practice. Kandinsky’s work and philosophy is something that I feel very close to. Fernand Léger cubist works, Joaquin Torres Garcia and his “contrustibismo” are always present. Also more recent artists like, Luisa Salas, Santiago Diaz Guichon.
Many artists are influenced by previous work that they have done. The emotional or contextual aspects of one piece often carry in part to the next work. How does this piece of artwork relate to other pieces of art that you have created?
I always work on more than one piece of art at the same time, using different techniques in each simultaneously in order to create diversity in the art, but also diversity and a release for me so that my work is never tedious. Often pieces I create at a similar time have a connection within them all, such as a continuous colour, or a particular stroke. Carrying new ideas can be a lonely job, and so I like to intertwine my pieces in subtle or sometimes obvious ways.
Art is not just about the finished piece, but also about the journey that it takes to get there. Can you please describe the creative process that you go through when creating a piece of art such as this?
I have never understood people who say that they paint to have fun. The action of creation can be frustrating and a challenge. You have to accept that there is no such thing as a mistake, and that eventually the art will reveal itself through the process.
How would you describe A Sunny Valley to someone new to collecting original abstract artwork?
A Sunny Valley is a reflection of a period of my life in the rolling hills of Tuscany with my wife and son. The colours represent the city of Lucca and the meeting of old and new cultures and ideas, surrounded by the walls creating a wrapper of protection.
A Sunny Valley is 42 x 52 cm (16.5 X 20.5 inches). This artwork was created using a mixture of spray paint and Acrylic over canvas.
View more work by Vito Parteli