Luca Mantovanelli
Luca Mantovanelli is not your usual new artsy kid on the blog. He’s not obsessed with himself; he didn’t invest in an old Polaroid camera and hoped to get rich and famous overnight; and most of all – he’s got real, raw talent. Luca is born June 11 1984 somewhere around Brescia. He lived there until the end of high school, then moved to Milan to study Architecture at the ‘Politecnico’. After graduating he realizes that needs a new more challenging environment. That’s when Luca decides to move to London, where he currently lives and works. I stumbled upon his work online – I really hope to see it exhibited ver soon. Read his first interview below where we talk about his fears, inspirations and why Catholic Italy has to thank him for his provocative images.
What inspires you for the drawings you make?
Inspired by Shopenhauer and Leopardi’s philosophy and Harry Bush Art, these drawings are nothing but the representation of my fears and feelings. Drawing is been like a therapy for me and helped me a lot doing my coming out.
When was that? How did it happen?
Everything happened when I moved to London 2 years ago. It’s much easier to try to be yourself when you are in a completely new environment when nobody knows you. The reason why I was struggling more to reveal my homosexuality was that I had to give up the idea of having a “normal” family…I grew up (like everyone) with the idea of being father. My series “extinction” talk about this, in a negative, dramatic and maybe cheesy way but that’s what I was feeling at that moment.
Who are the people who you draw?
The boys are taken from porn videos and websites. But I don’t think my pieces are erotic. There’s an erotic tension of course but what I find more interesting is to create that sense of uneasiness which could be in common in a lot of persons and for many different reasons.
And the birds?
I draw extinct birds. The choice to join boys into ecstasies with extinct birds was to represent the idea that sometimes for pleasure, for reaching happiness you need to give up something. Pleasure and sorrow, even if they seem to be two opposite feelings, in reality they are similar, and together in the same image they create a certain sense of Sublime.
What materials do you use? How long does it take for you to finish a drawing?
I use pencil and oil on paper. I draw after work because I’m a full time architect so I don’t have a lot of time. But I can say that usually it takes me maybe three nights? But then it depends…for example now I’m working on an other drawing but it’s taking me ages because I feel so lazy these days!!!
Is your art anticipated in catholic Italy?
I think that Church should think about something more important than my drawings, like pedophile priests. And to be honest one of my inspirations for my “orgasmic” faces is “L’estasi di Santa Teresa” by Bernini, which is a sculpture inside a church in Rome, so I don’t think they wouldn’t mind. LOL
“Putting a bird on something” is considered to be a hipster thing. Illustrations in encyclopedia style too. Do you consider yourself a hipster artist?
I didn’t even know that putting a bird on something was an hipster thing…so no…I don’t consider myself as an hipster. But Encyclopedia drawings style was definitely one of my inspirations.
images: Luca Mantovanelli
