Interviewing Vieira Saraiva | newsletter #20

art2act® | newsletter #20

Vieira Saraiva

INTERVIEW

ABOUT THE ARTIST | ORIGINAL ARTWORKS

Diogo is a 20 year old emerging artist studying at:

Faculdade de Belas Artes da Universidade do Porto.

"Following the branch of painting, I search and seek to improve my technique and create captivating and engaging art".

"Art has the potential to reach the core of the human soul and the role of the artist is to unlock that potential and set it free."

Welcome to art2act®️ Diogo! Let's start with: how do you work in your creative process and what is your preferred approach?

"I approach my paintings in very different ways. Sometimes I make drawings and study the composition of what I want to paint, and sometimes I just throw myself head first into the canvas and let the paint guide me. This method may have it's flaws but ultimately, it gives me a sense of freedom that I really enjoy in painting. Because I don't apply any under drawing, I end up changing the composition on the canvas and it becomes a very fun experience to apply paint over paint trying to discover the best shapes. One of my favorite aspects of this method is the fact that in the end all those layers are there in the painting. Some are hidden and some are shinning through, but they are all there contributing to the final result in some way."

How has your practice changed over time?

"My painting career as only just started and yet I feel like it has already changed so much. It has evolved not only in a technical way but in the way I approach painting and the meaning it carries. I started by trying to be as faithful to nature as possible but recently realised that painting goes well beyond nature. Nature is already so limited, there's no point limiting our imagination aswell. With this idea in mind I started drawing inspiration from dreams and from day-to-day thoughts/memories and started creating intriguing narratives wich are meant to captivate de viewer. This approach to painting has been very important in my art but I like to think that I am always evolving and will likely change my approach again soon."

Poliban - Vieira Saraiva

€87.50

What’s integral to the work of an artist?

"The most important thing an artist needs in his work is curiosity. A curiosity to explore, to find new ways to express himself and engage his art. This curiosity will take the artist where he needs to go. At some point the art one creates will take control of the actual act of creation. So, it is important to develop a very personal relationship with your methods and mediums so that you can let serendipity do its thing. There is a fine line between showing too much and showing just enough. A painter, especially a narrative one, needs to learn how to balance on this line. If he shows too much then there is nothing to look for in the painting, but if he shows just enough, he will captivate and motivate the viewers to put the pieces together and create their own stories."

What role does the artist have in society?

"There is this quote by Arthur Miller that comes to mind: "I think the job of an artist is to remind people of what they have chosen to forget." This is something I think about. Art has the potential to reach the core of the human soul and the role of the artist is to unlock that potential and set it free. Art makes us feel emotions we didn't even know we could feel. It motivates us, it makes us sad, it makes us nostalgic, it touches us. During this pandemic we all realised that artists are essencial in a society. Art may not be essencial for life to exist, but it is what makes life worth living for."

Is there any particular message you want to send with your work?

"Every painting of mine conveys a particular message but I always try to leave the meaning of a painting up to the viewer to decide. I love hearing what stories they see in my paintings. I always try to be as little specific as I can. I want my figures to represent a type of individuals and not a specific individual. This way, by keeping things open, the viewer can recognise the figures from their own life experience and connect with them. Because I want my paintings to make this connection with the audience, I allow my paintings to show my mistakes, they are not perfect, they are flawed just like we are."

The Three Stages of Sleep - Vieira Saraiva

€125.00

What is your dream project?

"I don't think I have a dream project... yet! Right now I'm simply interested in trying to push my work more and more to where I feel it needs to go, to paint the things that go through my head."

Professionally, what’s your goal?

"My aim professionally is to be able to be sustained by my work. I want to be able to live working on what makes me happy. I want to be acknowledged and I want people to take something good from my art. I want to create and create and I can only do that if I can sustain myself with my art. If I could do that then I would already feel incredibly accomplished. After that, ultimately, there would be no greater honor than to be considered an artist's artist, to be able to inspire other artists. This would be the best compliment for an artist."

Which artist has the greatest influence on your development? Why?

"A lot of artists have influenced my art and my process. However, Ruprecht von Kaufmann has been a great inspiration for me. The way he depicts narrative scenes like a feverish dream. His compositions and colors create amazing environments and he has inspired me to explore differente supports and techniques like no other artist has."

Serra da Estrela - Vieira Saraiva

€62.50

The NGO you have chosen to help with the sale of your works is "Socorrer a Linha da Frente". Any final support message for them in this critical period we are living, and a call to action for people?

"This are troubled times we are living and this organisation has been doing great work helping the front line against this pandemic. It seems only right in a time like this to direct our attention and help to these health professionals. They are doing the hard work and deserve all our help and respect. To the rest of the people I ask you to please stay home. We have already seen the impact of lockdown and I urge you to hold on a little longer so we all can go back to our normal lives."

What do you think about the art2act® project and how do you think it can help you inthe development of your artistic career?

"From the start art2act® has been incredibly helpful and has demonstrated an incredible availability to help me develop my artistic career in the best way possible. Projects like this are essencial for young artistics and I couldn't be more grateful. It provides an amazing platform to expand the art market. It is a great project with benefits for the artist and the art world and also giving the possibility to help others along the way."

Midnight Blues - Vieira Saraiva

€187.50

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