The craft is not dead!

I started studying on my own, attending workshops, and copying photographs in a painter’s studio. I knew that to progress from there I needed a mentor. That is how I met Sebastián Salvo and came to his studio; a place where time does not exist, walls decorated with his ageless paintings, it felt like home. I was excited to see the great masters reflected in his works. 

The craft is not dead! 

We are disciples of Nerdrum, Titian, and Apelles. Following their track, as in the Renaissance, we copy, compare, and compete. By taking the best of each era and each master, one can objectively progress in painting. 

While looking for a place to show and sell my paintings, my friend arranged a meeting with two prestigious curators. Excited about this opportunity, I packed a painting and prepared my portfolio. We drank some coffee together, and without even paying much attention to the work they had in front of them, the curators asked me: “What do you want Javier? Money? Prestige? Fame? We can help you, but talent is not enough. You need a theme that talks about your own time, build a social or political message and we can guide you. We can build your identity as an artist together, otherwise there are no places to show these kinds of paintings”.

I went back to the studio more confident than ever. I understood that I am not an artist, I am a craftsman; a Kitsch painter.

2 thoughts on “The craft is not dead!

  1. Me alegra enormemente haber atestiguado parte de esa etapa y haberte visto llegar hasta donde estas ahora, aunque fuera un tiempo cortito. Eres un ejemplo para mí y te admiro enormemente.
    Un abrazo a la distancia.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

There are no quality standards in Art
How can I consider myself an artist if I don’t know what that is? Every time I hear this word my stomach unfailingly turns. Nobody knows what it is because
Agustina Caruso
I was in the wild for many years
I started drawing when I was a little girl. I had a lot of interest in studying faces and portraying them. Especially older people, perhaps because their faces showed that
Ruth Lønne
Art is the salvation for the talentless
I don’t call my work art. The reason is simple: all fields that the ideas of Art have touched, have crumbled to dust. From modern architecture, modern concert music, to
Öde Nerdrum
The craft is not dead!
I started studying on my own, attending workshops, and copying photographs in a painter’s studio. I knew that to progress from there I needed a mentor. That is how I
javier

Kitsch lavishly relishes imitation. Art separates itself from nature as absolutely as possible.

— Richard Leppert, author