WILLY VERGINER:FROM NATURE TO SURREALISM

ART

WILLY VERGINER:FROM NATURE TO SURREALISM

Text: Anna Mar

Photo credit: Willy Verginer

April 24 2023

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Art has the power to evoke all kinds of emotions, to challenge our perceptions and to make us think about important things. One artist who has mastered this craft with exceptional skill is Willy Verginer, an Italian sculptor known for his stunning sculptures carved out of wood.

The most striking aspect of Verginer’s work is his meticulous attention to detail. Every wrinkle, crease and facial expression in his sculptures is carved with meticulous precision, creating a sense of hyper-realism that blends succinctly with surrealism through image and color.

However, his work is distinguished not only by its high technical skill, but also by the importance of the topics the author touches on about humanity’s relation to the environment.

Do you remember when you first realized you wanted to be an artist?

Once, as a child, while walking with my dad, we met someone painting a landscape and I asked my dad “what that man was doing?”. He answered that he was an artist. I said that I wanted to become an artist as well, but my dad told me that it would not be a job. However, it became my job.

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You create very naturalistic figures. Are they portraits of real people or characters from your imagination?

I use models for any work. Most of them are art students because there is an art school in the town where I live. The art students have a relation with sculpture, and it is interesting for them to see how a sculpture is made. At the beginning of the rough work (chainsaw), I work with photos, and as the work progresses, I need the models so that I can better work out the details.

Your work is delicate and requires not only skill but also a significant amount of time to create. And how long does it take to create one sculpture?

It depends on its size, and not every sculpture takes the same amount of time. For a life-size sculpture, it takes about 6 weeks.

The way you work, is it a deliberate or instinctive process?

The beginning is very instinctive. The sketch is something I always do. Then, in sculpture, you have to be rational and deliberate.

In the School of Fine Arts, you studied painting. It's obvious that color is important to you in your work. What does color mean to you?

I believe that color is the most important aspect of my work. (In art school, I studied painting, not sculpting.) Color overwhelms the figures. It does not underline the narration, but rather the narration is evolved, questioned, and changed. Tension, conflict, as well as unity and harmony, arise between color and form.
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Why did you choose wood as the material for your artwork?

I grew up in an area where wood carving is deeply rooted in tradition. In the 17th century, there were already several baroque sculptors working with wood in my area. By the 18th century, Val Gardena was a major center of wood carving. Most of the wood carving is still concentrated in the religious field. I acquired the same technique; however, I decided to take a different route.

What message do you convey to the world through your art?

I don’t aim to convey a message. Instead, I sculpt what resonates with me, what moves me, or what evokes thought.

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What is your favorite quote?

“Anyone who imagines that all fruits ripen at the same time as the strawberries knows nothing about grapes” – Paracelsus.

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Share with us what you are currently working on. Do you have any interesting projects in the pipeline?

From April 20 to May 26, in Tel Aviv, there will be my solo exhibition at the Zemack Gallery called “Anthropocene”.

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