Featured Artist of the Month : Mauricio Paz Viola Apr. 2022 | TheArtList - Art & Photo Calls for Visual Artists and Photographers.

Mauricio Paz Viola

Beijing, China

Self-taught artist Mauricio Paz Viola (b 1985; Carmelo, Uruguay) embarked on his artistic journey early in life. Dabbling in plastic art since 7, he has participated in various art competitions in his native Uruguay and abroad. At 14, Paz Viola began to participate in group shows and individual shows nationally and internationally in galleries and museums in Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, United States, Italy, China, among others. His work have been featured in doctoral studies programs in art in universities in Chile, Mexico, Argentina and Spain, and are frequently featured in magazines and art books, among which are Latin American Plastic Art Annual Review, High Impact: the Art of Visual (New York) as well as books in Venezuela, Spain, Argentina, UK, France, etc. The most notable influences of Paz Viola are Roberto Matta, Max Ernst and Javier Gil.

Paz Viola Artist Statement:

My works present images of imaginary landscapes, my paintings are an invitation to enter the world of dreams, where people can escape the mundane for a few moments. My paintings consist of interpretations of subjective and illusory images inspired by my sensations and memories. For that I create images in different media, oil painting, watercolors, acrylic and sculpture.

How and when did you start creating art?

I started painting when I was seven or eight. When I was fourteen I took a painting class in hometown city of Carmelo, Uruguay, but I didn’t start creating my own works of art until I was fifteen or sixteen. I have always wanted to create something unique and different. I think that since people are all unique in their own way, we all have a special gift to share with the world and the universe.

What media and genres do you work in?

Depending on the project, I work with different media and different styles. Having said that, most of my time is spent perfecting a series I started twelve years ago called La Nada en el Vacío (Nothing in the Void). It is all oil on canvas.

Who or what are your influences?

Hard question! I can’t really pinpoint exactly what my influences are because we are surrounded by all kinds of influences all the time thanks to technology, social media and things in our immediate environment, all of which leave a mark on our lives.

I go to galleries and museums all the time to see art, but I also look at art in social media. As a sensitive artist, I absorb all these influences. It’s also true that there are great artists who we admire for one reason or another, and for me that would be a Chilean artist by the name of Roberto Matta. I never tire of telling the story of how seven-year-old me saw one of his paintings for the first time in a school textbook and I was overwhelmed. I also consider Max Ernst and a friend and fellow Uruguayan artist Javier Gil to be my influences. I, of course, am inspired by many other things.

What was your inspiration for
Top of Glory
?

Well, we are seeing the beginning of Spring in China. The trees are blooming and birds are singing. Since, as I said, everything influences me in some way, and one of those things is seasons of the year. My work tends to be brighter or darker depending on the season in which they are created, as they are intimately linked to nature, flowers, intense colors, and movements and shapes reminiscent of flower petals.

Describe your creative process?

I create my artworks in series. I choose an idea for a project and I create 30 or 40 paintings for each series. One crucial element of my creative process is music. I listen to music when I paint, and the type of music I choose depends on the type of series I am working on at a given moment.

What are you working on currently?

Currently I am working on a series based on the metaphor and symbolism of the cave.

What are your near/long term goals as an artist?

My near-term goal as an artist is to always be creating art, to stay active, generate new ideas and new projects. Over the longer term I hope my work will be widely recognized, shown in museums and galleries and seen by many, and I plan on getting there by staying active and continue to create.