ARTIST GIULIO ZANET
For Giulio Zanet, painting is a way to explore fragility, silence, and the invisible layers of emotion. Working in Correggio, far from the noise of the city, he approaches the canvas with patience, building each piece slowly and intuitively. His practice reflects a personal rhythm and an openness to not knowing where a work will lead.
Giulio Zanet
Photo courtesy Manuel Coen
I was born in a small town at the foot of the mountains. It was a happy childhood and adolescence. My parents certainly passed on their love for the arts on me. My mother played the piano and my father used to paint. As a teen I discovered that I loved painting and never stopped. After living in Milan, studying and working professionally, I now reside in Correggio, a small town in Emilia Romagna. I moved here for love. I live with my fiancee and our dog, and I am lucky to say I am very happy.
There are so many artists that I love. As a kid I loved Egon Schiele, then Bacon and Schifano. I still love them but as I grew up I began to also love:
I am voracious. I watch a lot of things and I have a vivid imagination, so everything I watch and read I store.
Giulio Zanet These emotional states, the inner movement, that subtle veil of embarrassment, a quiet, almost melancholic humor, attract me precisely because I believe they are universal, intrinsic to every human being. There's no human experience untouched by these nuances.
Giulio Zanet First I decide what materials I am going to use, from paper to fabrics, canvas and so on, and after that I begin my color process in a very instinctive and casual way. I never have in mind exactly what I want to do. There is a lot of error, and awareness of defeat. It's kind of like life, in the sense that we all know we're going to die one day but we don't kill ourselves ahead of time. This year I want to continue painting. It is how I understand and experience the world. I explore the relationship with space, and I put into play ambiguity, repetition, variation, acceptance vs rejection. I always want to ensure that my work is open to multifaceted interpretation.
"I never have in mind exactly what I want to do. There is a lot of error, and awareness of defeat. It's kind of like life."
Giulio ZanetGiulio Zanet In terms of my daily life, not much changed. I spend my days in my studio working. What changed was the social aspect, meeting fewer people and experiencing things in my environment. I missed that, and it certainly affected my work. On a positive note, I was able to fully concentrate with no distraction and immersed myself completely in my work. In terms of the future, I thought things were going to turn for the best, but I'm not so certain anymore.
Giulio Zanet David Hockney.
Giulio Zanet The art world feels very distant from the real world, so yes it can definitely improve.
Giulio Zanet For me wellbeing means being able to wake up next to the person you love and have a mind clear from bad thoughts.
Giulio Zanet Definitely the interactions. The people that I have gotten to know over the years, thanks to what I do, is the part of my career that makes me confident I followed the right path.
"I continue to feel lucky and privileged doing what I do, despite the many difficulties in having made this choice."
Giulio Zanet
Photo of artist courtesy of Manuel Coen
