Giza Art
the art of
Francesco D'Isa

 

 

Francesco D' Isa a former student of philosophy at the University of Firenze in Italy. In 1998 Francesco was in a serious motorcycle accident. He says that it is a miracle he is alive. I think his words describe it best when he said, “It was really bad; I'm alive for a miracle. I broke really bad my left leg, and I had many traumas everywhere around the body. Fortunately, the I got no permanent damages, except one: I lost my spleen.”

Firenze where Francesco lives is known to most of the world outside of Italy as Florence. His city has a rich artistic and creative heritage dating back to the likes of Michelanglo and Leonardo, so it is no surprise that from a young age D’Iso has made some sort of art. In the last few years he has been putting together a body of work that consists of ink drawings, vector art and photo-manipulations. This summer (2006) D’Iso announced the availability of a book of his art titled, Francesco D’Iso Art Book.

This September and October D’Iso’s work is going to be included in exhibitions in Phoenix, LA, and NYC.

 

Bronze Sleep

Tell me about the art training you have had?
None. I'm completely self-taught. I studied philosophy at university.

You have a new book that you have just finished. What can you tell me about it?
This book is a collection of some of my best traditional and digital artworks, plus two specific works: the "Self portraits" series, a really personal elaboration of tarots cards, and the comic Liebe macht nicht frei, baby! a short illustrated novel about Adolf Hitler's suicide and love. Both are in Italian and English. I collected in this book the works I love most, to present my art to the public.

How can someone buy a copy of your book?
It’s quite simple: You can order the book at Lulu.com, here’s the link, and if you have not a credit card, you can order a copy directly from me.

How long have you been working on the body of work that is included in the book?
It’s a selection of works from 2001 to 2006.



Francesco D’Iso Art Book (front and back covers)



Glass Doll

Before we talk about some of your pieces specifically, let’s talk about your work in general terms. You call yourself a digital artist. Half of your work is obviously digitial photo-manipulations. The other half of your work is not so obviously digital. While each technique is wildly different the images are most certainly related. We can see that the same person may have been the creator. How did you come to these two different styles?
I start to draw traditionally, with ink and paper, and only in a second time I develop computer as an interesting tool for doing art. My research is the same, whatever it is, and the technique is only a way to pursuit it. I simply walk the ways I think are the best to bring this something to life: I chose computer as I chose visual art: trying a wide selection of expression tools and taking the ones I feel more suitable. Maybe in the future I’ll find some new way, but I think the creator will be recognizable whatever I do. I’m pretty recognizable whatever I do, in spite of all I have an identity.

Tell me about your work that is as you describe it "vector art." It appears to be more traditionally drawn. Are you drawing with ink and scanning or are you creating these figures and designs on a computer with a drawing tablet?
Vector art is the point of contact of traditional and digital. I simply work more with my drawings, scanning the works, digitalizing the shapes and adding some colours, to create something new. Even if the traditional drawing still remain with its differences.

When we look at the figures you draw we can see that they look very similar to the faces and figures that are in the photo-manipulations. Do you get your inspiration and reference from the same photos you manipulate or do you have friends that pose for you?
Sometimes I use the same models, sometimes not. But I always change in a quite imperceptible way faces of my models. The result is a mix between a sort of personal archetypical face and the faces of who I know best. Is quite rare I draw with a posing model, often I use causal reference and let my memory change freely faces and bodies.

Vectorialized and Colorized

Midas' Oil

 Which come first the manips or the drawings? I just had the thought that maybe the drawings are actually sketches for the manips.
First came the drawings, but I never do sketch for manipulations. I work directly on images.

Or is it the other way around?
No digital sketches for drawings, too. Directly on paper.

Your drawings all include very intricate patterns, they very much remind me what we see in playing cards kings, queens and jacks. What is your inspiration for that sort of work?
Oh, it’s hard to say. Patterns are everywhere, in art and nature. I find my inspiration in paintings (Klimt more than all the others, maybe), in nature (shells, flowers, anatomical parts, microscopic world, medicine books…) in environments (mechanical, buildings, writings…). Human brain search and create patterns everywhere, I simply use this skill as this skill uses me.

I want to ask you about the distortion in your figures, but I think that has to go hand in hand with your photo-manipulations, so lets talk about those for a bit. Do you find all of your photo material on DeviantArt, or do you take some of it yourself?
Most of all on DeviantArt, but also directly from the models, or around the web. But sometimes I take my own photo references too.

Somewhere a long the line you had to have been very into Giger. How has his work influenced you?
I love Giger, he is not my favourite artist but I really love his works. He had a great influence on me, cause one day I saw his works, and I thought: there’s something I can find near this place. In a certain sense he open my way more than the others, but I’m going elsewhere.

Drown the Sirens

I am curious about the process of this type of imagery. I am wondering if you approach it similarly to how more traditionally created art, or if you have a more personal approach. What is your goal when you set out to do a manipulation?
I can’t tell my goal, but I can say that doing art is more or less like to think to me. It’s a way to think, a slowest and sometimes deepest way. My process in doing an image is really similar to my process in making a thought on something (or nothing).

Your fantastical creations and distortions are very much like found object sculpture. And the way you fit all the pieces together really require a second and a third look to be able to see if this is possibly real or completely made up. Is it difficult to find parts and pieces that all work together so well?
Maybe it’s not so difficult, but even not that simple. I suppose I’m used to change constantly perspective on things. The analogy with sculpture fits well, because touch is important like sight in developing my works.


I Think Ergo I Smoke



Snowing on the Sun

Your manipulartions present us with so many alternative options as to what the possibilities are for the arrangement of the female form. What is your image of an ideal woman?
I’m undecided between anyone and none.

“ Snowing on the Sun” shows us yet another side of your creativity as you show off some strong design skills. How to conceptualize a piece like this so that the figure works as well as it does with the rest of the design?
It’s always a change of perspective: at some point, while I was working on “Snowing on the Sun,” I naturally change my mind from figurative to design.

The figure in the lower portion of “Snowing on the Sun” is a perfect example of some of the subtle work you do with your manipulations that make us really need to look closely and pay attention. What are the differences in response to what you get to a piece like “Snowing on the Sun” as compared to ones that are more grotesquely modified?
A more extreme response: someone who likes my other works didn’t like it, and someone like it most. But on average quite the same response.

In your comments about the one you titled “Self-portrait,” you say that you have a more personal connection to this piece more than others. What can you tell me about that connection?
This is the only works where I quote myself. In “Self-portrait” the gap between my worlds is more frail at my eyes. And in the little paper on the ground there’s a quote from an important letter of mine.

Did you set out to make a self-portrait, or did you just end up seeing so much of yourself in that piece?
I tried to do a self portrait using some other, like we often do in life.

Self Portrait

Prova a Perdermi

What have been some of the comments that you have gotten from the models of the photos that you manipulate?
Comments are most of all really positive, and I’m always really glad of that. One of the best that I can remember is one of my models who didn’t recognize herself watching the final work at first, and after a while she recognize her as “more herself” in the picture.

Is there any stigma that you feel you have to deal with as a digital artist?
Yes, the stigma of technical reproducibility. I think it’s a silent earthquake in art market.

I suppose on some level you are doing the visual version of sampling that has been called into question when rappers started doing it with music. Where does the answer to the question of original ownership fit into not only your own work, but anyone that does photo-manipulations?
I think that photos nowadays are like memories in the past. To use a photo to create a manipulation or a memory to create a picture is quite the same thing. So: if the result is something new, is yours. It’s hard to define when something is “something new,” but it’s simple to see.

Queen's Mirror

I'll Be Back

What are your aspirations in regards to your art?
First: to earn money enough to go on without pesky material matters. Second: to go deeper on this path, wherever he takes me.

Is there another book in the works?
You mean works in the book? No.



Angela The Devil

 

 

To see more of Francesco's work go to his web site.

 

 

 

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