Javier Arizabalo | Contemporary Realism | An Exclusive Interview

An Exclusive Interview With
Javier Arizabalo
By Ariel SU

Contemporary Realism

“I would like not to use the term Hyper-realistic but Realistic because my intention is not to go beyond what is real.
I understand where the term comes from and the reasons for it and its connection with photography, but I have seen so many bad paintings done using that term that I want to stay out of it.
My intention is not that it would look like a photograph, but I love expressing reality, the gesture of the brush, the ability, the treatment of light, and a certain classic way of understanding the image.”

-Javier Arizabalo

Spanish artist Javier Arizabalo is passionate about realism.
He carries out his works with different techniques, but it is in oil where he finds the most expressiveness since it allows him to work in full detail, understanding the light and the structure of the human anatomy. His successful creative practice focuses on traditional figurative subjects such as people and still lives and emphasizes vital realism techniques. Thanks to a keen understanding of light and shadow, Garcia renders three-dimensional models using only oil pigment.
It’s a pleasure to feature an exclusive interview with Arizabalo and to feature his outstanding Hyperrealistic work (Although he doesn’t like the term and prefers to call his artistic style Contemporary Realism.)

Javier Arizabalo was born in Saint-Jean-de-Luz (France) in 1965 and is currently based in Spain. He studied with several different local artists in the Bidasoa region and at the Municipal Academy of Drawing in Irun before attending the University of Bilbao (1983-1988), where he earned a degree in graphic design. From 1989 to 2004, he worked as a graphic designer with minor incursions into photography and synthetic imagery, teaching at the Irun Municipal Academy of Painting and Drawing from 1997 to 2001.
In 2006 he turned his attention exclusively to painting, working mainly in a meticulous realist style, studying the effects of light on the human body. He also explored the sensitivity and repose of his models, who allow themselves to be contemplated, creating a feeling of tranquillity in the viewer.

Art Market Magazine: Thank you, Javier. We were overwhelmed by your high hyper realistic technique. Where did you gain this high-level expertise? Before focusing on art, you studied graphic design and photography. Looking back at your academic studies, do you think they gave you the base for this quality technique?

JAVIER ARIZABALO: Thank you for the compliments and for this interview. I gained my knowledge through many places and different people. It wasn’t in particular regulated teaching. Instead, you accumulate some information from each step of your journey until, through years of experience, you create your own composition of knowledge and your own technique.
I studied graphic design with experts in visual design techniques at university, but not primarily in painting. So I’m very grateful to one of the teachers who made me concentrate on painting and experience various techniques.
I’ve experienced many different methods through Prueba and errors throughout the years until I developed my own artistic approach and style.

Art Market Magazine: Did you study the Renaissance Master’s technique? Which artists have most influenced your artistic style?

JAVIER ARIZABALO: I have not explicitly studied any particular technique or period. Perhaps when I started to learn with some post-impressionist painters, my favorite artists were impressionists.
I love the work of Jhon Singer Sargent, Velazquez, something Sorolla, Antonio López. I was drawn to these artists from a youthful stage in which you mythologize people; now, I prefer more concrete works, which at a particular moment, touch and influence you more because of the emotion of the circumstances of the moment.

Art Market Magazine: On your website, we can see the beginning of practicing by experiencing drawing, which, later on, in 2007, led you to become an expert in hyperrealism oil paintings. Many of these drawings are focused on hands. Given their complex anatomy, hands are often considered one of the most challenging subjects to draw. Still, you manage to capture the expressive language of hands and reach the level of precision until the painting looks like a photograph.
How long does it take to reach this level? Did you invest many years of study?

JAVIER ARIZABALO: Yes, to a certain extent, I felt more comfortable with drawing, since with few means you can do things, and since I was nine years old, I had a passion for drawing. On the other hand, it is the basis for painting and understanding volume, composition, and perspective. I already felt more comfortable with painting since there must be a little more technical knowledge, which I have been consolidating over time. In any case, I would not like to use the term hyper-realistic but realistic because I am not trying to go beyond what is real.
I understand where the term comes from and the reasons for it and its connection with photography, but I have seen so many bad paintings done using that term that I want to stay out of it. Over time I have seen that a higher level of precision and detail is demanded; I have mostly gone where the collectors and buyers have led me.

I have done my experiments on this equation of investment vs. buyers. Paintings of many hours of work with enormous details but lesser demand, alternating them with others of high demand but always considering my knowledge of how to achieve quality coherence of volume, anatomy, and natural color. My intention is not that it would look like a photograph, but I love expressing reality, the gesture of the brush, the ability, the treatment of light, and a certain classic way of understanding the image.

Art Market Magazine: You usually use a dark background, sometimes black, in most of your paintings. What is the role of the dark background and light & shadow in your artworks?

JAVIER ARIZABALO: I reinforce the sensation of the volume of the motif by using light and shadow.
The same as for dark backgrounds, which make the figure stand out, make it come out, although sometimes I also modulate the background somewhat so that it interacts with the figure.
I get tired of specific studio formulas over time, and I hope to tackle the subject with more natural light, although it is complicated.

Art Market Magazine: How long does it take to create each artwork?

JAVIER ARIZABALO: It depends on several factors, my motivation, and whether it is a commission and to whom it is addressed. A comfortable job that does not generate a long process is about 60 hours; a more demanding job is 100 to 250 hours. The most I have invested in hours is 750 in a painting, but it is difficult to find someone who wants to pay for this investment of hours, and on the other hand, it is hard to maintain the same level of attention throughout the process.

Art Market Magazine: Can you explain the process of your work? Do you first create sketches based on a photograph? Do you use the technique of dividing the canvas into squares before starting the oil painting?

JAVIER ARIZABALO: Honestly, I see myself also as a photographer; in that sense, I do base my work on a photo, and then, as a general rule, with some exceptions, I trace the drawing on the canvas. I compose with photography, and I also forget and extract the traditional way of drawing on canvas; I am a victim of new ways of working.

Art Market Magazine: Tell us about the workshops you teach for learning the technique. For what level does it fit, and what is the goal of these workshops?

JAVIER ARIZABALO: My workshops are aimed at people who have already been experienced with oil but longing for perfection. I see little experience with color mixing as a bad habit. Technically I am not a great expert, but I make up for it with insistence and self demand.
I believe anyone can achieve great results with simple techniques if they master the little knowledge they already have. So I guide my students through continual improvement and self-demand.

Art Market Magazine: Please tell us about upcoming exhibitions and which galleries your art is featured in. Where can collectors purchase your art?

JAVIER ARIZABALO: I mainly work with two galleries, Galerie Artmundi in Paris and Two Art Gallery in Murcia, Spain.
I have very few paintings in my studio, as most are sold quickly. This is the reason I never have enough artwork for a solo exhibition; I only manage to take a few paintings to collective exhibitions.
Currently, I only have some work pending for a tribute to Antonio López and several exhibitions abroad.

Read the full article in Art Market Magazine Issue #76