Michel Guerini was born in 1954 in Marseille (France) and is a self-taught artist. His work combines the "use of color in a classic and differentiated way in connection with the white of the canvas which exalts the color and gives it all its subtlety or its power depending on the case."
How did you get into art?
By frequenting museums very early on, then contemporary art galleries. I have always been interested in painting and drawing, which I started practicing as an autodidact. I gradually focused on painting and especially color.
How would you describe your style? What makes your work special?
I do not yet have a well-defined style that is recognizable at first sight (like Soulages or Buren!!!) however a constant emerges that is going to assert itself: the use of color in a classic and differentiated way in connection with the white of the canvas which exalts the color and gives it all its subtlety or its power depending on the case. My work is special in the sense that I strip myself of the superfluous, of the easy and spectacular effect to reach a fundamental truth. I am constantly looking for the intensity of the emotion.
How do you go about developing your work?
I first consider white space through a short meditation. A more or less stable mental image forms in me. I live with her for a while, then an almost certainty emerges and I begin by applying a first color. If this one suits me (which is the case most of the time) I extend it with a neighboring color and so on, I continue in gradient until I occupy a large part of the space. At the same time, I am extremely careful about the composition of the whole. The colors must exist in the white space with as much precision as possible.
Who or what influences you?
Difficult question because the influences vary according to the passage of time...
However, a few rare artists have a major influence: Matisse first. Rothko, Sean Scully too…
Make us curious. What is planned next?
I will take advantage of increased visibility on Instagram to develop my practice and become a true professional...
I would then like to have a personal exhibition at the Venice Biennale with very large formats.
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