Jacopo Pagin
Artwork’s Title: Bee Stings
Material Used: Acrylic, Oil And Synthetic Grass On Canvas
Studio Based: Brussels
Can you tell us about the process of making your work?
For me, to create means to materialize, turning what was an idea into reality. My paintings come from simple and unexpected intuitions. The process is about trying to solve what I perceive as a problem and making all the decisions that will lead me to the conclusion of the work. But at that point the idea, taking unpredictable paths, may have drastically transformed.
How did you come up with this painting idea? Is there any story behind this painting?
The primordial idea was a kind of cowboy centaur with a rotating lasso, (I remember sketching this shape on a piece of paper). Gradually the image became more complex until it was enriched with new meanings and became a tribute to spring and to bees in particular. A bucolic, dreamlike and a little ironic scene that I decided to expand and translate to other levels. Bee sting became the cardinal image of one of my largest installations: a four-meter high structure in which I staged a spoken word music performance.
What arose uncontrollably inside the painting prompted me to cultivate a new interest in bees, incredible animals that are facing a crisis that threatens to bring the planet to catastrophe. I believe that bees well represent the degree of perfection that nature is capable of. The performance and the installation spoke about the sensuality and the fragility of this wonder.
How do you know when this painting was finished?
It’s always about making a decision. Generally, I think it is preferable to stop sooner rather than later in order not to risk weighing down the painting. In this case, I left a lot of space in the centre and meticulously took care of the details of the small bees and the appearance of the honey stalactites. For me, a big part of the success of a painting lies in the balancing of opposing forces, and often this you can do with few targeted touches in the very end.
Additional Artworks
All images are courtesy of the artist