AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH
CRISTINA CORVINO
– CONSERVATIVE ART –
Emancipazione (Emancipation) Macchine del Tempo (Time machines) Arte Consevativa ® (Registered Trademark) Dimensions: 130 x 160 cm (51.18″ x 62.99″) Oil on panel and mixed media. 2019
Walking into one of Cristina Corvino’s architectural works in the beautiful city of Turin, Italy, we feel a mélange of art, history, the creative process and the humanity that comes from being exposed to art. Cristina became interested in art as a child. She is a product of one of those wonderful stories in which a series of events pointed her towards a path that involved her many passions and she was encouraged by her parents in her pursuits. Cristina loves art and has embraced its many forms of expression, be it theater, design, colors, materials, etc.
She demonstrated early signs of independence by developing a small following for her creations. In the interview that follows, we will hear her describe her beginnings, her approach to art and creation and her hope for the future.
It is the unique blending of forgotten, neglected and overlooked paintings juxtaposed with relevant, modern and significant treatments that are fascinating. In her work, a message of hope underlies messages of continued struggle against forms of domination and inequality. Christina’s works become modern and transcendent through her masterful usage of scientific and artisanal treatments together with the careful consideration of heritage.
Cristina Corvino is an artist with many talents. She has restored and brought back to life many neglected properties that are found in the historical center of Turin. She has been successful in fashion, theater, and is a licensed and recognized restorer of frescoes, sculptures, paintings, and historical buildings. She is an accomplished teacher that had the good fortune to encounter not only learned and wise teachers through her studies but also true mentors. In the creations that we discuss here, she explores the complex issues of women and their roles and their interactions with society, time, animals, and nature. She explores these interactions historically and connects them to the present. A conversation takes place between women of antiquity and the viewer of the piece that causes the viewer to reflect. It is a brilliant way to tell us that the human being that was depicted hundreds of years ago is questioning us and encouraging us to fight to keep searching for truth.
AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH
CRISTINA CORVINO
By Miguel Bermudez
Gold List Award Artist Cristina Corvino and her fascinating creation “Conservative Art” © Art Market Magazine
MEB3: What are the origins of your interest in art in general?
Christina Corvino (C.C): Since I was a child, I have felt the interest in creativity, colors, and nature growing in me which matured and becoming a true passion for art and beauty.
I attended short courses, bought newspapers, books, and manuals that described various artistic techniques for modeling and painting on various materials such as fabric, ceramics, glass, etc. I produced small artifacts and had a fair number of buyers and admirers which allowed me a guaranteed small economic independence from my parents.
My parents always supported my choices.
MEB3: When whom and how were you exposed to this magical world of art?
C. C: I chose to attend the Liceo Artistico, architecture section, in a period in which public opinion considered this school to be unreliable and with little prospects for a career, but I could not do anything else, my heart brought me there.
Contrary to the prevailing opinion, I had the good fortune to meet real artists who had dedicated themselves to the profession of teacher, becoming excellent teachers of life, capable of grasping my abilities, giving me the opportunity to learn classical techniques but also to experiment with various forms of art.
I still remember with nostalgia the afternoons spent in the high school workshops to complete drawings, sculptures, and projects.
MEB3: You trained as an architect which you still do as your principal career. Could you describe your approach to your architectural works and the philosophy behind it?
C. C: Having been born and raised in Turin, a royal city and part of Savoy and the former capital of Italy was fortunate. It is full of important historic buildings, museums, art galleries, etc … The charm of ancient architecture and the period details it contains aroused in me the desire to undertake university studies oriented towards specialization in the field of restoration with the future goal of working for the enhancement of the Italian historical and artistic heritage.
Today the work of the architect and restoration and protection of cultural heritage elements is very arduous and demanding. It has become a real mission and the satisfaction in reviving an ancient artifact, a historical-artistic building or part of it is worth all of the effort.
I believe that architecture should be understood as a “Unicom” that is a set of arts concentrated in a place to harmonize together. For this, it is necessary that the professional architect possesses the right preparation and knowledge to perform conservation and know how to recognize hidden treasures that our ancestors left to us.
Emancipazione (Emancipation). Macchine del Tempo (Time machines). Oil on panel and mixed media. 2019. Arte Consevativa ® (Registered Trademark) 130 x 160 cm (51.18” x 62.99”). Detail.
MEB3: What made it important for you to educate yourself about the conservation and renovation of buildings, paintings, frescoes, and sculptures?
C. C: I believe that ancient works of art can have a long life if they meet people capable of recognizing their value by restoring them properly. If not, the fragility of the work can dominate, leading to the disappearance of entire assets. In Italy, we live in an open-air museum, surrounded by sculptures, architecture, paintings, etc., but much of this heritage is still left in the warehouses and basements of museums due to lack of funds, initiatives and the will to believe in the great potential of the cultural system.
In this sense, sometimes the lack of awareness leads to indifference and abandonment, spreading a social culture contrary to what should exist in a country like ours. The educational world has the responsibility, the task and the possibility of changing people’s thinking.
MEB3: Not only did you learn about restoration techniques, but you also decided to share your knowledge with the new generation by becoming a teacher; how do you see the enthusiasm and interest in this field for the younger generations?
C. C: After years of experience, finding ways of transmitting knowledge to share one’s work with new generations is very important to complete a path of enrichment and professional completeness that would otherwise remain sterile and confined to one’s own study.
In this sense, the experience of teaching closes a circle as any work starts with learning from a teacher and one should conclude with the transmission of one’s knowledge to the new generations because the latter represents our future. They, in turn, will be able to repeat, enrich and transmit.
The construction of the schoolyard during the restoration of some historic buildings proved to be very positive as some students appreciated the lessons learned, discovered hidden abilities and finally decided to follow us becoming our stable collaborators, working with the young people is not only possible but also beautiful!
Lucrezia 2019. Macchine del Tempo (Time machines). Oil on panel and mixed media. 2019. Arte Consevativa ® (Registered Trademark) 140 x 160 cm (55.18” x 62.99”)
MEB3: How did you start thinking about incorporating ancient paintings into your contemporary artistic techniques and getting a relevant modern message?
C. C: The work of art restorer allowed me to know and appreciate many paintings, sculptures, frescoes, etc… I had the opportunity and also the duty to study techniques and materials. I was struck by the perfection and mastery with which the great artists of the past dedicated their lives to produce beauty. This immense heritage has come down to us as a gift, the idea of including ancient works in my contemporary art projects stems from the desire to create a dialogue between past and present with the aim of making the observer aware of the great recurring themes in societies of all ages, in this sense artistic works becomes socially useful and not an end in itself.
MEB3: What came first, your desire to marry neglected and unknown works with modern techniques, or your desire to express modernity through a different approach using historical paintings?
C. C: First came the desire to revive the neglected and unknown works through a new expressive language, then the desire to express one’s message using ancient works is very potent and hasn’t been done.
MEB3: What techniques do you use when choosing a painting as the basis of your work?
C. C: As we mentioned before, my works are the result of a fusion between the experiences linked to the knowledge of restoration techniques of ancient artifacts and the creative abilities typical of contemporary art. The works are composed of a part in which the reinterpretation of the preservation language emerges to give a new reading in a modern key and a part made an ex novo on a usually wooden support that is realized as an oil painting on wood.
Lucrezia 2019. Macchine del Tempo (Time machines). Oil on panel and mixed media. 2019. Arte Consevativa ® (Registered Trademark) 140 x 160 cm (55.18” x 62.99”) Detail.
MEB3: Tell us about the topics you’ve covered so far with your paintings.
C. C: I have always been more attracted to the figurative genre, perhaps because working closely with ancient works of art, faces, figures, looks, draperies, etc. have enriched the spaces of my atelier. During the last year, the production has focused on the realization of the series “MACHINES OF TIME” understood as works that link past and present in a moment of reflection and dialogue on the same theme.
“THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN SOCIETY THROUGH HISTORY”, is the common thread of these works that become visual tales speaking of emancipation, desire for creation, violence suffered, relationship with animals. These important topics have been portrayed several times already in antiquity, sometimes forgotten, they can return to arouse interest since they still have considerable relevance.
MEB3: Where you exhibited, you won art awards. What were the reactions of the public and art critics?
C. C: The biography lists the latest national and international exhibitions in which I participated in this last year, obtaining awards and satisfactions. The critical reaction was very positive. After some exhibitions, I was contacted to be included as an artist both in the Atlas of Contemporary Art and in the Catalog of Modern Art.
Additionally, the well-known art critic Vittorio Sgarbi was struck by the originality of my style called “Conservative Art” and by the harmony that can be created by combining an ancient work inserted in a contemporary context.
“Conservative art” can become a new language of communication, a language that wants to bring young people closer by telling them about extremely complex topics in a simple and direct way.
Creazione (Creation). Macchine del Tempo (Time machines) Arte Consevativa ® (Registered Trademark). Oil on panel and mixed media. 2019. 140 x 160 cm (55.18” x 62.99”)
Creazione (Creation). Macchine del Tempo (Time machines) Arte Consevativa ® (Registered Trademark). Oil on panel and mixed media. 2019. 140 x 160 cm (55.18” x 62.99”)
MEB3: Your studio located in an ancient city palace in Turin that you restored a few years ago. Does this environment have an influence on your work?
C. C: Of course, as mentioned before, having had the opportunity to work several times in historic buildings subject to protection and to choose the location of my atelier in the City Palace designed by the famous royal architect Benedetto Alfieri has provided me with a wealth of unique knowledge.
However, having now formed my personality, I could do the same works even in a less courtly environment because what I create comes mainly from within me.
MEB3: Please describe what is on your mind when you look at a painting that you want to work with and incorporate your creativity.
C. C: The ancient paintings that come into my works are the result of long research that has been going on for many years, some have been purchased in various contexts others have been found abandoned inside warehouses, cellars, flea markets. The desire for salvation from their destiny of degradation is the first reaction to so much waste and ignorance, then the works are analyzed in detail, we often discover fascinating details, portraits that speak of past lives, forgotten heroines, devotion, etc… And from these stories, dialogue and confrontation with the world of today on the same theme begins to develop.
Cristina Corvino is an artist, licensed art restorer, designer and architect based in Turin, Italy.
Her work can be seen on these websites:
Website: www.arteoatelier.com
Website: www.arteoliving.it
email: info@arteoatelier.com
Read the Full Interview Article on the GOLD LIST Special Edition #5
