Oliver Pavic

Sono architetto e ho studiato le forme e le composizioni.

Ho sperimentato diversi mezzi artistici come fotografia, installazioni e musica per esprimere le mie costruzioni architettoniche, prima di intraprendere la strada della pittura per sentirmi completamente realizzato.

La pittura era solo un hobby, un modo per integrare la mia creatività architettonica. Ho iniziato a studiare le persone e come interagiscono con l’architettura e come i paesaggi urbani si integrano con le persone. I due mondi, la pittura e l’architettura, mi sono apparsi come non omogenei, anche se molto simili. Moduli architettonici, ombre e prospettive hanno iniziato a fondersi con i colori ad olio, le tele e le trame. Dalla gente sono arrivati i miei primi ritratti e dall’architettura i miei primi paesaggi urbani.

Ho iniziato a dipingere seriamente nel 2015 e ho trascorso gli ultimi 3 anni a studiare da autodidatta l’arte della pittura, esplorando diverse tecniche e materie, ma soprattutto ho imparato a esprimermi attraverso le mie opere d’arte. Ho imparato come unire i miei stili e le mie tecniche per realizzare un’opera d’arte originale. Elementi di ritrattistica classica sono stati fusi con linee architettoniche raffinate per realizzare un ritratto espressivo manipolato. Il mio approccio tecnico alla pittura mi ha permesso di sfumare le linee tra classico e contemporaneo, tra figurativo e astratto.

La mia tecnica pittorica è un mix di linee architettoniche controllate che lavorano con (e talvolta contro) la “pennellata” organica, solo che nel mio caso i pennelli sono stati sostituiti da spatole e raschietti dentati.

Sono stato impegnato a perfezionare questa tecnica, che prevede la messa in opera e la stratificazione della giusta quantità di pittura ad olio per manipolarla “Alla Prima” in un ritratto.

Rivelando parzialmente la tela e le linee di matita dello schizzo del dipinto, posso quindi mostrare i soggetti attraverso la trama o preservare la loro intimità dietro una sorta di velo.

Una volta stabilita la tecnica, i soggetti pittorici sono sorti spontaneamente. Poiché il mio stile è un melange di sfondi diversi, anche i soggetti potrebbero essere disparati. Dalla cultura urbana e di odierna, fino al XVI secolo dell’ Inghilterra dei Tudor. Dall’architettura famosa al mondo della moda parigina.

Nei miei ultimi ritratti ho usato solo vernice bianca e nera, che ha dato al dipinto una dimensione e una percezione totalmente nuove. Sono riuscito a ottenere una sensazione di mistero e raffinatezza associata ai vecchi ritratti di belle arti, che rafforzano ulteriormente il processo di riflessione che sta dietro il mio approccio alla pittura.

Oliver Pavic

I was an architect before I took upon the art of painting. As an architect I studied shapes and compositions and how they interact in an environment. I tried to showcase my architectural projects with more artistic mediums like photography, installations and music. When that wasn’t enough, I looked into paintings to express myself truly.

Painting was just a hobby, a way to supplement my architectural creativity. I began to study people and how they interact with architecture and how urban landscapes integrate with people. The two worlds, painting and architecture, were presented to me as non-homogenous, yet I saw them as very similar. Architectural materials, shadows and perspectives started to merge with artistic oil colours, canvases and storylines. From people came my first portraits and from the architecture my first urban landscapes.

I started to paint seriously in 2015 and I spent the last 3 years self-teaching the art of painting, exploring different techniques and subjects but most importantly I learned how to express myself through my artwork. I learned how to merge my styles and my techniques to achieve an original work of art. Elements of classical portraiture were merged with fine architectural lines to reveal a manipulated expressive portrait. My technical approach to painting allowed me to blur the lines between classical and contemporary, between fine art and abstract.

My painting technique is a mix of controlled architectural lines working with (and sometimes against) the organic “brushwork”, only that in my case the paint brushes were swapped with palette knifes, spatulas and scrapers with teeth.

I have been busy perfecting this technique, which involves staging and layering the right amount of oil paint to manipulate it “Alla Prima” into a portrait.

By partially revealing the canvas and the painting’s sketch pencil lines, I can then expose the subjects in an intimate laced version of themselves or preserve their intimacy behind a sort of a veil.

Once the technique was established, the painting subjects almost came by themselves. Because my style is a melange of different backgrounds, the subjects could be mixed too. From urban to street culture of today, to 16th century Tudor England. From famous architecture to Parisian fashion world.

In my latest portraits I only used black and white paint, which gave the painting a totally new dimension and perception. I managed to achieve a feel of mystery and sophistication associated with the old fine art portraits, which further solidifies the above explained thinking process behind my painting approach.

I was born in Slovenia to working class parents

At the age of 21 I left for London to study architecture. In 2000 I graduated from Architectural Association and I worked as an architect in London until 2014

I moved to France to pursue my passion for painting and I started to paint in 2015 and set up my studio.

Through sheer determination and a lot of mistakes I finally established my painting style and technique.

It’s a “melange” of architectural controlled lines and organic paint brush strokes, only that in my case the paint brushes were swapped with palette knifes, spatulas and scrapers with teeth.

I don’t see portraits just in people but in urban environments, street culture and interior design

EXHIBITIONS:

ArtePadova 2018

Art Shopping Paris 2018

Galerie Joseph Paris (May 2017) solo

Van Der Plas Gallery New York (August 2017) group

Urban Gallery Paris (October 2017) group

Bog-Art Gallery Brussels (November 2017) solo

Spring Art Salon (ACAF) Brussels (April 2018) group