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What inspired you to create art and become an artist? (events, feelings, experiences...)
I think that an artist is born and not made. Since I was a child, I had this fantasy and the need to express my creativity, which affects my dignity.
What is your artistic background, the techniques and subjects you have experimented with so far?
I have tried all imaginable techniques, experimenting with subjects, volumes, bodies, people, animals, villages, and cities. Art can manifest itself in any situation.
What are the 3 aspects that differentiate you from other artists, making your work unique?
The originality and singularity make me distinct because I am not a decorator. I do not create works to beautify but to convey emotions through my paintings that represent my vision of reality. I do not mix, and my art is unique like each of us. That's why it is recognizable. I aim not just to contribute to art but to add something new, change it, and enrich it.
Where does your inspiration come from?
The inspiration and inputs I gather daily, I rework them, making them my own and trying to interpret them in a modern, futuristic key. I manipulate everything I observe according to my vision, creating my works having studied the best artists of all time, from Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Goya, Rembrandt, and Caravaggio to Francis Bacon, Dalí, Adrian Ghenie, and Nicola Samonà. From the past to the present, I employ a Baroque style technique in a modern and current version.
What is your artistic approach? What visions, sensations, or feelings do you want to evoke in the viewer?
I want to stimulate the imagination and express something new in people. My technique and subjects must be full of stimulation to see a coherent and mature stylistic form with deep thoughts that lead to developing a new language.
What is the process of creating your works? Spontaneous or with a long preparatory process (technical, inspiration from art classics, or other)?
I concentrate for hours in front of a blank canvas, and within a few hours, I execute everything that comes to mind without following a project or drawing. No planning takes place, and the work is done directly on the canvas without second thoughts or corrections. My work is born immediately; it is a constant, perennial commitment without respite. I have worked night and day for 34 years, and this is why the price to pay is very high, as the saying goes that what you live in destroys you. This happens to those who deeply love art.
Do you use a particular work technique? If so, can you explain it?
I have experimented with all techniques, leading me to refine the oil on canvas technique, which is the only one that satisfies and gratifies me. Layers of oil, layers of color, and glazing create images and subjects—animal bodies and volumes—all linked to the same criterion of stylistic thought.
Are there any innovative aspects in your work? Can you tell us which ones?
I think the novelty of my style and my painting is its uniqueness and variety of styles. No one is born trained and complete, but after much training and study, you develop your typical recognizable style. What makes you different from others is that in every painting, we can recognize your hand, the colors, your subjects. The intention is not to appear banal and obvious but to always evoke emotions in every work observed. Works are defined yet ambiguous, clean and precise yet dynamic because, from every point of view, they can always seem like a different concept every day.
Do you have a format or medium that you are most comfortable with? If so, why?
I usually work on a large white canvas, but the work itself dictates the measurements and limiting conditions. In large dimensions, I manage to achieve better effectiveness and involvement of the observer. This is why I prefer large sizes—the work must absorb you, entice you to enter it. The observer must be captivated by the work, surrounded by the characters, objects, and volumes observed, becoming part of it.
Where do you produce your works? At home, in a shared workshop, or in your own workshop? And in this space, how do you organize your creative work?
My works are born in a small studio within my home because I work from morning to evening and don't share it with anyone else in my family. It's as if I lived alone but simultaneously had two parallel lives: the daily life with my art.
Does your work lead you to travel to meet new collectors, for fairs or exhibitions? If so, what does it bring you?
I travel around Italy among fairs and galleries to interact, share, discuss, meet, get to know, and relate to artists, collectors, galleries, and art lovers.
How do you imagine the evolution of your work and your career as an artist in the future?
I have been a professional painter for several years, and my future will always be dedicated to art. I see myself present in major galleries and fairs. I hope to soon be consecrated in Italy and gain recognition for all these great sacrifices.
What is the theme, style, or technique of your latest artistic production?
I have always appreciated the Baroque style, these forms, these volumes between light and dark, dramatic characters immersed in shadows—a pictorial technique that is difficult to execute but extremely fascinating. Applying it to modern contemporary subjects, I think it triggers great emotions and can elevate every situation.
Can you tell us about your most important exhibition experience?
Every event I have attended has always been very exciting, especially when attending my own solo show with an entire gallery at my disposal. All my works are hung and framed on the walls, where visitors and observers are intent on studying the works. There is an indescribable empathy between me and the observer. Every event is always magical, and only in these moments do you realize that you are someone and not in the anonymity of your studio. When you are at a solo show, visitors ask questions, want to know you, and understand why your art regenerates your mind and becomes a reason to exist.
If you could have created a famous work in the history of art, which one would you choose? And why?
There are many works of extreme beauty. If I could create a sculpture, it would be Michelangelo's Pietà. If I could create a painting, it would be Leonardo's Mona Lisa.
If you could invite one famous artist (dead or alive) to dinner, who would it be? How would you suggest spending the evening?
If I could spend an evening at the table with Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Salvador Dalí, and Francis Bacon, I would have the opportunity to share a good wine, a good cigar, and a good plate of pasta while talking about art and women.
Olimpia Gaia Martinelli 
