Monica De Cardenas

Via Francesco Viganò, 4
20124 Milan, Italy

MON CLOSED
TUE-SAT 11AM-7PM
SUN CLOSED

ARTISTS:
Alex Katz
Michelangelo Pistoletto (Collezione Ramo)

Alex Katz answers questions from
Irina Zucca Alessandrelli, curator of the Collezione Ramo.

Give a definition of what drawing is for you.
Since I was a boy I have always drawn a lot. In the 1950s I began to portray people I saw on the subway, quick sketches in which I tried to capture the essence of the scenes of everyday life I casually witnessed.
From the 1960s I began to portray groups of people at occasions such as a reception or party or a day off at the beach or park, in such large sizes that they refer to billboards and cinemascope screens.
The preparatory studies are thus the basis for my paintings, and I consider the drawings to be works in their own right.

What creative techniques and processes do you use when working on paper?
The first step in creating a painting work of mine always begins with drawing from life in front of the model or model either in the studio or in nature. The drawing gradually becomes more molded through greater definition of chiaroscuro.
To enlarge and transpose the drawing onto canvas, I began using spolvero boards, which is the same technique Michelangelo and Raphael used to create frescoes. Many small holes are drilled along the lines of the drawing, through which charcoal powder is pressed, which then remains on the canvas as the basis for the outline of the figure.

Why did you choose this work from the Collezione Ramo?
I chose a large charcoal drawing by Michelangelo Pistoletto because I think it has a similar energy to my works on paper.