Interview by Jimon

1-Where did you grow up, and where do you live currently?  I grew up in Italy and I live near Milan.

2-How would you describe Giada Rotundo?  I’m a young artist who works with figurative art. I’m a hard-working person and I dedicate most my time to art. I’m not so good at anything else and the long hours painting has at times provoked muscle pain, so I have an extreme passion for art but physically weak.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKm5-XtXcII&list=RDMME3QiD99jPAg&index=2

3-Did you have any official training for art?  Yes, I obtained an MA from the Academy of Brera in Milan.

4-How did you acquire your style?  I think style is not acquired but it comes naturally, doing art is an expression of oneself, so style is something which flows by itself from within, it is not something which you can learn or construct, it is like your calligraphy, everyone has his own.

5-What is the origin of the characters in your paintings, do they model for you or are they purely from your imagination?  No, I don’t have any real models that pose for me, the idea usually comes from my imagination. But I often need to have some form of reference for features of the face, thus I consult fashion, TV or magazines.

6-How do you describe success as an artist?  The answer is certainly subjective: someone once said that you can’t be considered an artist until you have sold your work for a million dollars, however, there are people who work only for themselves and simply prefer to enjoy their manual work. Finally these artists may be happier than the richer ones.
I think that I’m joyful when I get a creative idea, but I also try to acquire approval from others who appreciate my art, especially if they come from the artist sphere, such as critics or curators.

7-What do you think of the art world today?  Today there are a lot of bizarre artworks and when things go too far it’s possible to take one step back, so I suppose that figurative art will become mainstream again. We should not forget that art is superfluous and what is superfluous is subject to fashion, it has been nearly more than 100 years since figurative art was relevant, therefore its come back is surely possible.

8-Tell us something about the art world that you want to see changed?  The impression I have is that most Italian gallery curators continue to propose artworks which they saw in their youth, and it’s for this reason that many galleries still seem to be in the 1980’s, presenting mostly installations.

9-If a movie was to be made about your life, where would it ideally take place and who would be the actor playing your part?  The film about my life should be made here, where I live, because I want to give an impulse to figurative art, exactly here where it’s lacking, surely more than in other foreign countries.  An actress who could represent me should be a good artisan with a good technique and moreover be creative.

10-When you are not painting where would someone find you? 
They will probably find me in an art store where I would choose the best materials.

11-If you weren’t an artist, what would you have liked to be?  I would have liked to be a writer.

12-Best advice you ever received in regards to your career as an artist? 
Hard work always pays.

13-Name three things you can’t live without in your studio?  I can’t live without my three brushes, which strangely are not specific for oil painting. In fact, I use two make-up brushes and the other is for water-colors.

14-Do you have a person/place/thing that you visit for inspiration?  One artist who inspires me the most is James Ensor for his horror themes.

15-If you could have dinner with three artists, living/dead who would be at your table?  I would like to have dinner with James Ensor, Edgar Maxence and John Everett Millais.

16- How would someone find you on social media?  Instagram @giada.rotundo.

17-Please name the first thing that comes to your mind while 14-reading the following:

Art=love

Food=fresh

Sports=boring

Politics=useless

Poor=emerging artists

God=distant

Rich=others

Luxury=snob

Sex=Mapplethorpe

Picasso=instinctive

Religion=prayer