Vasilis Paspalis

Untitled "I", 2011. Digital drawing, 67 x 67 cm.

Untitled "J", 2011. Digital drawing, 145 x 145 cm.

Untitled "V", 2011. Digital drawing, 145 x 145 cm.

Untitled "H", 2010. Engraving on perspex, 50 x 50 cm.

Untitled "Tiger", 2010. Ink on wood, 60 x 62 cm.

Untitled "D", 2011. Digital drawing, 144.8 x 144.8 cm.

Untitled "T", 2011. Digital drawing, 114.3 x 105.4 cm.

Untitled "Q".

Untitled "E".

Untitled "A".

Untitled "F".

Untitled.

Untitled "U".

Untitled.

Untitled.

Artist Statement

I believe that there is a difference between a portrait and any other
kind of imagery. Portraiture is a medium itself, in the sense that the
viewer who looks at a portrait enters a certain “mode” of looking. This
is “induced” by the use of the exterior form of the portrait. When looking
at a person depicted in a portrait, an expectation of a story or a narrative
is generated in the viewer, which leads them to collect information, for
example from the dress of the figure, or the background of the painting,
to enable them to construct this narrative. This need emerges from the
spontaneous identification of the viewer with the depicted figure; the
narrative, produced by the viewer and filtered with their own perceptions
and subconscious expectations, serves as a link between the viewer and the
portrait. This is why there is a powerful emotional reaction when looking
at a portrait, much different than when looking at a still life or a landscape. 




Website