Fresh Paint
Francesco Poiana
Materials are an essential part of almost all artists’
practice, but for Francesco Poiana they seem to take
on an added importance. He is fascinated by the history
of materials and imbues them with an almost spiritual
reverence when he talks. “When I hold a piece of chalk or
sanguine, I cannot avoid thinking of all the masters that
have passed on this stage before me, and if you look
behind the easel you can almost see Leonardo blinking
at you,” says the Italian painter and printmaker. “The same
with the paper. I enjoy the craft behind papermaking, from
the medieval European mills to the Japanese paper
workshops. There would not be any art without the
technology behind it.”
He uses extremely thin Japanese mulberry paper for
his latest prints. “The pieces of paper are overlapping,
showing the transparency of the layers and suggesting the
composition of the artwork. The material in that sense is
becoming the work and the artwork is becoming an object.”
Francesco studied at the Fine Arts Academy in Rome
and completed a printmaking residency at Udine’s
Stamperia d’arte Albicocca, a place he calls “a precious
oasis in this world”, before moving to London and
completing stints at Central Saint Martins and the Royal
Drawing School. As such he is well placed to discuss the
differences in approach to art teaching between the two
countries. “In Italy, we have a heavy weight to carry,”
he explains. “Everything is taught from ancient times and
reminds you of where we are coming from. For that reason,
the teaching is traditional and focused on art history and
drawing as a daily practice.”
“Here in the UK, in particular in London, everything is
moving,” he adds. “Different timings and the influence of
many cultures are constantly changing the meaning and
the trends of art. The technical quality of the workshops
here is excellent too, and the teaching is more focused
on concepts and new media. Everything seems to tend
towards innovation.”
As an artist from continental Europe forging a career
in London post-Brexit, it is little wonder that the advance
press for his debut exhibition at Messums gallery in
London describes him as a “man at a crossroads” –
a fanciful idea that Francesco excitedly runs with.
“I’m often travelling, changing home like a nomadic
pagan... A lost dog searching for my kind on the edge
of town. My artworks also represent an invitation to an
intimate journey – real, yet completely inward – towards
the intangible image of a golden elsewhere.”
Francesco’s exhibition runs from 3-14 March at Messums,
London W1. http://www.francescopoiana.comABOVE Francesco
Poiana, Leviatan
#1, sugarlift
with hard ground
etching and chine
collè,100x66cmFRANCESCO’s
top tiP
“Don’t try to please anyone
else with your work – if
someone says something
is good, it’s nice but
not essential”